BA.5 MAKES UP NEARLY 80% OF NEW COVID CASES.
HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE SUBVARIANT.
(USA TODAY 7/20/22 – By Adrianna Rodriguez)
KEY POINTS:
- 5 is still classified as an omicron variant but has new mutations different from BA.1 and BA.2
- The first cases appeared in the Northeast, then started spreading to the South, Midwest and West
- Can you get BA.5 twice? Experts say it’s unlikely within the first month after infection
The BA.5 SUBVARIANT of omicron continues to dominate the summer wave of COVID-19 in the United States, making up nearly 80% of new cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Nowcast model. READ MORE
OVAVAX’S LATECOMER COVID-19 VACCINE GETS U.S. AUTHORIZATION.
(New York Times 7/13/22 | By Rebecca Robbins and Carl Zimmer)
The vaccine was authorized as a primary immunization series for adults, rather than a booster, which may limit its market at first.
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Novavax, a biotechnology company in Maryland that received significant federal funding to produce the shot. The vaccine will be a new option for Americans as vaccination rates stagnate. READ MORE
WHAT THE BA.5 SUBVARIANT COULD MEAN FOR THE UNITED STATES
(New York Times 7/7/22 | By Lauren Leatherby)
The most transmissible variant yet of the coronavirus is threatening a fresh wave of infections in the United States, even among those who have recovered from the virus fairly recently. READ MORE