How is the BA.5 COVID-19 variant different from other strains?
CBSN
The fast-spreading BA.5 subvariant of Omicron and its close relative BA.4 now make up around 95% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to estimates published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The strains have driven an acceleration this month in the pace of new COVID-19 cases – President Biden among them. Hospital admissions in some regions now eclipse the worst days of the Delta variant wave last year, especially among Americans aged 70 and older.
CDC officials say they are now studying the current wave, with early results on how the variants are impacting issues like vaccine efficacy due by later next month. And data from other countries that have already survived a wave of cases from BA.5 and its close relative BA.4 could offer clues on what is to come.
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