A more infectious variant of the Omikron, BA.2, has emerged in the United States. According to experts, it can spread by 30 percent. easier than before. Nevertheless, nationwide pandemic restrictions are being lifted.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, BA.2 is now detected nationwide. According to specialists, it is responsible for about 3.9 percent. all new infections in the United States, and this percentage is rapidly doubling.
- If it reaches 8%, it will mean that we are entering a phase of exponential growth and we may be witnessing another wave of Covid-19 cases in the United States. Of course, this is what we are really afraid of - quotes NPR radio Samuel Scarpino, director of pathogen monitoring at the Rockefeller Foundation.
Opinions on the threat of the new variant in the United States are currently divided. According to some experts, there is little chance of BA.2. has caused a massive surge in COVID-19 as many people have already acquired immunity against the virus as a result of vaccination and previous infections. - BA.2 is most likely to slow down the decline in the number of cases. But it is unlikely to lead to a new wave, said Nathan Grubaugh, professor of epidemiology at Yale University.
In America, over 100,000 people are infected every day. people, as a result of which about 2 thousand. people. Recent research has shown that some antibodies may be less effective against the new variant of Omikron. `` Many more people will fall ill, go on a ventilator and die because of BA.2, '' emphasizes Dr. Jeremy Luban, a virologist at the University of Massachusetts medical school, who indicates that it will especially affect the millions of still unvaccinated people.
In his opinion, the most likely scenario is that the new variant will extend the wave of infections. The expert warns, however, that if the wave reaches the level of 5-7 percent. the possibility of another increase in the incidence cannot be ruled out, and this, in turn, may lead to the variant strengthening and its spread. Experts point out that it is even more possible, because in the United States the obligation to limitations is abolished, includingputting on masks, making people less and less careful.