BA.5, an offshoot of the Omicron variant, is now predominant among new cases in the US. The White House has been watching it make its way across Europe and South Africa, and on Tuesday, the response team outlined its strategy to fight the sub-variant, which appears to be able to evade vaccines as well as immune system defences. that have been created through previous infection. “The key feature of BA.5, that we know of, is its immune evasion — you can be fully vaccinated and boosted and still have the risk of a new infection,” Dr. Ashish K. Jha, Mr. Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator, said in an interview Monday. “You may have been infected previously — even as recently as the last two months — and have a very high rate of reinfection.” At Tuesday’s briefing, Dr. Tza said the administration was planning for just such a time and told Americans they can take steps to protect themselves by getting vaccinated or getting boosted. check if they feel sick. they seek treatment if they test positive and wear masks in crowded places to minimize the spread of the virus. “We can prevent serious diseases,” he said. “We can keep people out of the hospital and especially out of the ICU. We can save lives and we can minimize the disruption caused by Covid-19. And even in the face of BA5, the tools we have continue to work.” As part of the strategy to combat BA.5, federal officials are considering expanding eligibility for second coronavirus booster shots to adults under 50, according to several people familiar with the thinking. Other than that, the plans don’t sound too different from those for combating previous Omicron sub-variants. A White House bulletin said the administration will continue to advise Americans, especially those 50 and older and those who are vulnerable, to get booster shots. to test if they have symptoms; and seek treatments, including Paxlovid, which has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death if they do get sick. “Variations will continue to emerge if the virus circulates globally and in this country,” Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Mr. Biden’s chief medical adviser on the pandemic, said in the briefing. “We must not let it disrupt our lives. But we cannot deny that it is a reality that we have to face.” As Americans have turned their attention away from the pandemic, mask mandates have dropped and people are going about their daily lives, often viewing Covid more as a nuisance than a threat. But experts warn that the pandemic is far from over, even if it has faded from the everyday consciousness of Americans. The daily number of reported cases in the United States has held steady at about 100,000 — a number many experts say is underreported because so many people are testing at home. However, hospital admissions rose 18% in the past two weeks, according to a New York Times database. Dr Tza said this number could reflect those hospitalized for medical problems other than Covid, but who tested positive. However, some other experts said the increase in hospitalizations shows that the increase in BA.5 is already underway. “We’re in a wave,” said Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and director of the Scripps Translational Research Institute. Referring to the early days of Omicron’s first increase, he added: “It won’t be as bad as what we went through in January. But it’s not good. And basically we’ve let our guard down.” In a recent post on Substack, Dr. Topol called BA.5 “the worst version of the virus we’ve seen.” Currently, a national average of about 330 coronavirus deaths are reported each day, according to the Times database, down from more than 2,600 a day at the height of the Omicron outbreak. But if the average of 330 held steady for a year, it would amount to more than 120,000 deaths – a figure Dr Tza called “unacceptable”. By comparison, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the flu claimed 12,000 to 52,000 lives in the United States annually from 2010 to 2020. Since April, when Dr. Tza replaced Jeffrey D. Zients as the coordinator for the response to the coronavirus, the White House briefings on Covid have been fewer and fewer. The last update was almost three weeks ago. In addition to Dr. Fauci, who last month was recovering from his own bout with Covid, Dr. Tza was joined on Tuesday by Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the director of the CDC. Looking to the future, Dr. Jha said getting a booster now wouldn’t prevent people from getting another booster, reformulated to fight Omicron and its subvariants, in the fall. Last month, an expert panel recommended that the Food and Drug Administration move to update booster shots to target different forms of Omicron. But those doses may not be available until October, Dr. Jha said. And even then, the government may not have enough booster shots for every American who wants them because Congress has refused to grant any additional aid for the pandemic. In the event of a shortage, he said, the administration would prioritize older Americans and those with specific vulnerabilities. “I hope it’s not a decision we have to make,” Dr. Ja said. “But it’s going to get harder and harder to get vaccines over time, the longer Congress waits.”
