Comment A new variant of the coronavirus, even more contagious than previous strains, is now taking hold in the United States. But rising cases should not prompt calls for most Americans to back down or policymakers to reimpose restrictions. Instead, the rapid spread of the BA.5 omicron subvariant is a window into what the future looks like for this coronavirus. We’ve seen this pattern before. The original Omicron variant was more contagious than the delta variant before it and quickly became dominant last winter. There was a brief lull, after which this strain was replaced by a more contagious subvariant, BA.2. The infections caused by BA.2 started to decrease, just in time for the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants to take over. BA.5 now accounts for 65 percent of all infections in the United States. This should come as no surprise. New variants appear all the time, with more infectious strains displacing the previous ones. Lullabies followed by surges are the new normal. Rather than reacting with alarm, health officials should have the expectation that as long as hospitals are not overwhelmed and vaccines still work to prevent serious disease, policies should focus on minimizing disruption to daily life. Reader Q&A: How bad is BA.5? Dr. Leana Wen answers your questions. Virologist and pediatrician Paul Offit agrees. Offit is director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s influential vaccine advisory committee. He told me in an interview that this coronavirus “will be here for my life, for my children’s lives and for their children’s lives.” He added, “We cannot hold coverage and quarantine forever to prevent asymptomatic infection. we have to accept mild illness as part of life with Covid-19.” His aim, which I share, is to prevent people from becoming seriously ill. For most people, vaccines do well, including BA.5. Hospitalizations are increasing, but they are about a fifth of the peak of the first wave of small. Since the actual number of infections could be up to 10 times higher than the reported number, this means that the vaccines are doing their job and disconnecting the infection from the serious disease. Editorial Board punctuation The worst variant of the virus has just arrived. The pandemic is not over. It is unreasonable to ask Americans not to travel, go to restaurants or attend weddings to prevent what for most people will likely be a mild illness. As I’ve argued before, government-imposed restrictions — including mask mandates — should be reserved for extreme emergencies, which we’re not in now. Instead, officials should scale up interventions that have broad support, such as testing, treatment and improved ventilation. Resources should be directed specifically to help those most vulnerable to severe effects from Covid-19. Among those 65 and older who received the initial two doses, about 30 percent have not yet had their first booster. And of those who did, only 34 percent received a second booster. We also fail to use other tools to their fullest extent, such as the preventive antibody Evusheld and antiviral treatments, including Paxlovid — all of which are effective against BA.5. This has to change. Sign up for the Checkup With Dr. newsletter. Wen | Guidelines for dealing with the pandemic and other public health challenges In the meantime, we urgently need investment in better vaccines, specifically a coronavirus panic vaccine that will work across all strains, and nasal vaccines that reduce the transmission of the virus. We need an ‘Operation Warp Speed Part 2’ to accelerate the development of vaccines and additional therapies to deal with the symptoms of Covid and long distances. This does not mean that those at low risk of serious disease should forgo precautions. Even if they are vaccinated and boosted or have previously had Covid, there is a high chance that they will contract BA.5. Without precautions, the incredible transmissibility of emerging variants means that people may contract covid-19 several times a year in the future. Whenever people get infected with the virus, they could end up with long-term Covid. Some will say that this is exactly why they want to continue to avoid this coronavirus. They can continue strict precautions, including asking others to get tested before gathering and wearing a high-quality mask indoors. Others will say they are done. they don’t want to pay the increasingly high price to avoid Covid. Many will choose something in between. They will not limit their activities, but will be informed about boosters, wear a mask in crowded places and get tested before visiting vulnerable relatives. Offit explains that the definition of a pandemic includes changing the way we live, work and play. “We determine when the pandemic will end,” he said. “Based on people’s behavior, it seems like most of the country has decided that this has already happened.” I don’t think the pandemic is over. This coronavirus could have many more surprises in the coming years. This fall, or next, a new strain could emerge that is far more deadly and unresponsive to existing vaccines and treatments. Health workers must maintain the credibility to call for an emergency response when it is truly necessary. This time is not now with the BA.5 variant.
