The latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that COVID-19 infections in the United States caused by the BA.2.12.1 subvariant of omicron are now at 43%.
The majority of cases are still attributed to the BA.2 subvariant, also known as “stealth omicron.”
“Experts believe BA.2.12.1 to be about 25% more transmissible than BA.2, so it is likely contributing to the increase in coronavirus cases seen nationally,” according to U.S. News & World Report.
- On May 10, the seven-day moving average of new cases in the United States, as reported by the CDC, was at 74,718. That’s almost triple from April 1, when the average was 25,536, but significantly less than the 806,001 seven-day average reported on Jan. 13.
- According to NBCNews.com, BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 “are driving a surge in U.S. COVID cases.”
What are the symptoms of BA.2 and BA.2.12.1?
NBCNews.com quoted Dr. Dennis Cunningham, of Henry Ford Health in Detroit, as saying: “The omicron symptoms have been pretty consistent. There’s less incidence of people losing their sense of taste and smell. In a lot of ways, it’s a bad cold, a lot of respiratory symptoms, stuffy nose, coughing, body aches and fatigue.”
Major League Baseball game canceled
For the first time in seemingly awhile, a professional sporting event was called off due to COVID concerns. The Chicago-Cleveland game was postponed Wednesday due to multiple positive tests in the Guardians’ organization, including Cleveland manager Terry Francona.
- “I feel that COVID is coming back big time and so are masks,” ESPN and podcast host Tony Kornheiser said on Wednesday’s “Pardon the Interruption.”
What are the newest omicron variants?
In South Africa, two new subvariants of omicron are causing a spike in cases, according to National Geographic (subscription site).
- “Dubbed BA.4 and BA.5, the new subvariants are nearly identical to each other, and both are more transmissible than the omicron BA.2 subvariant,” according to National Geographic.
- “Studies show that these new subvariants are so different from the original version of Omicron that immunity generated from a previous infection may not provide much protection,” National Geographic reported.