Covid Cases In the US are Driving up Due to New and Dominant BA.5 Omicron Strain.
America has decided that the Covid pandemic is over, but the coronavirus has other ideas.
The latest outburst of a new variant, BA.5, is alarming due to its rapid spread in the United States. All praise to the decisive nature of the virus that it spreads despite the boosted human immune system. It’s now driving a wave of cases across the country.
This Covid wave’s size is unclear because most people are either testing at home or not. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 100,000 new cases daily. But the authorities believe it is a wild underestimation of the actual number. “It can go up to a million,” said Ric Topol, who works as a professor at Scripps Research.
The previous vaccines and antibodies offer minimal protection against this variant. Topol called the BA.5 variant “the worst version of the virus we have seen.”
Is BA.5 Variant Dangerous?
There is no serious evidence yet of this virus causing severe illness. However, infectious disease experts believe that the impact of the BA.5 is unlikely to be on the scale it used to be last winter. Even though new infections are on the rise, the country is well-equipped for it Today to manage them.
The average number of deaths per day in the US is 300 compared to 3000 last summer. Dr. Anna Durbin is a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine professor. She said combining vaccination and prior infections is still a great protective measure. Her views also show that the Covid-19 treatment is better now than in the past.
Now, the question is that if you have been through Omicron before, can you get the infection by this variant? So, Dr. Anna answered it in these words, “most people have their underlying immunity, and it helps in fighting the virus.” She continued, “Today, we have antiviral drugs, and for that reason, we do not see a sudden surge in deaths. It feels great to see that because it tells me that BA.5 is not so divergent to escape the arms of the immune system.
She elaborated about the latest booster shots and said they would roll out as soon as this fall. They will specifically target Omicron, which helps prevent serious illnesses and deaths.
How can people protect themselves?
People need to take some safety measures to save themselves from exposure to the virus. Masking up in crowded places and taking booster shots for vaccines are effective measures.
The World Health Organization warned about the latest Omicron burst in the US and around the world. “ The virus is running freely,” they said.
A lot of countries have lifted Covid restrictions and reduced keeping track of controlling the virus. But this new wave has shocked everyone, and Covid is back.
The WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “new waves of the virus show that it is nowhere near over.”