The BA.2 subvariant of the omicron variant of the novel coronavirus now makes up 11.6% of all COVID-19 cases in the United States, per Reuters.
What’s happening: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that the BA.2 subvariant is responsible for about 1-in-10 COVID-19 cases in the country, according to Reuters.
- That number represents a 5% increase from the previous week, per U.S. News and World Report.
- The World Health Organization said the BA.2 has been spreading fast globally, too.
The bigger picture: Spokane Regional Health District Health Officer Francisco Velazquez told KREM 2 News that the BA.2 COVID-19 variant spreads faster than omicron and leads to symptoms such as dizziness and fatigue.
- Velazquez said people worried about catching the BA.2 subvariant should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as I reported for the Deseret News.
- Scientists have some evidence that the BA.2 subvariant of the omicron coronavirus variant can cause severe COVID-19 symptoms compared to the original omicron, according to recent lab experiments in Japan.