Omicron BA.5 represents 65% of circulating COVID variants in U.S. – CDC director
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Highly transmissible Omicron subvariant BA.5 is estimated to make up 65% of all COVID-19 variants in the U.S. as of last week, Rochelle Walensky, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Tuesday.
Together with the closely related BA.4 subvariant, the two sub lineages of Omicron accounted for more than 80% of circulating variants last week, Dr. Walensky told reporters at a White House press conference on COVID-19 response.
She noted that the seven-day average of COVID-19 hospital admissions has doubled in the U.S. since early May.
According to CDC estimates for the week ending July 09, BA.4 and BA.5 have outcompeted the earlier subvariants of Omicron such as BA.1.1 and BA.2.
Vaccine makers Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)/BioNTech (BNTX), Moderna (MRNA), and Novavax (NVAX) have already developed bivalent vaccine candidates based on the Omicron variant, BA.1 in anticipation of a fall booster campaign.
Walensky, President Bidenâs chief medical advisor, Anthony Fauci, and White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Ashish Jha stressed the importance of boosters, particularly, for people over the age of 50.
Those who receive booster shots now will not miss out on the Omicron-adjusted boosters in the fall, Dr. Fauci added.
Last month, Pfizer (PFE)/BioNTech (BNTX) announced an agreement with the U.S. government to deliver 105M doses of its vaccine, including Omicron-adjusted shots, subject to FDA authorization.