Washington: The Covid-19 pandemic is not over and the US is soon likely to see an uptick in cases due to the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron, according to the country’s infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci.
Fauci said that the BA.2 subvariant is estimated to account for about 25 or 30 per cent of new cases in the US, and could also become the most dominant variant in the country, CNBC reported.
While Fauci said he expects a rise in cases, it will not necessarily result in a massive surge like other variants have caused.
According to Fauci, who is also the White House chief medical advisor, BA.2 subvariant is about 50 to 60 per cent more transmissible than Omicron, yet it does not appear to be more severe.
“It does have increased transmission capability,” Fauci was quoted as saying on ABC News on Sunday.
“However, when you look at the cases, they do not appear to be any more severe and they do not appear to evade immune responses either from vaccines or prior infections.”
The variant has already caused cases to increase in China and several parts of Europe including the UK. Health officials continue to stress that coronavirus vaccines and boosters remain the best ways to prevent serious illness from the virus.
Other US health experts are also warning about the emergence of the BA.2, sub-variant of the highly contagious Omicron variant that led to a significant spike in cases in the US recently.
The variant could cause a new spike in cases but that the country is in a better position now than it was in the previous two years, when Covid-19 “defined our lives”, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy was quoted as saying on Fox News on Sunday
“We should be prepared, Covid hasn’t gone away. Our focus should be on preparation, not on panic.”
Scott Gottlieb, a board member of Covid vaccine maker Pfizer and a former head of the Food and Drug Administration, similarly said he also expects “some uptick” due to BA.2 but “not a big wave of infection”.
“I think we’re going to continue to see low levels of infection through the summer. But before we get there, we’re probably going to see some tick-up of infection like the Europeans are seeing right now, maybe not as pronounced,” Gottlieb was quoted as saying on CBS.
Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 31,200 new Covid cases on Saturday, including 958 deaths.
However, both are significantly down from the beginning of the year, the report said. IANS
First elbow replacement surgery done at KGMU
Lucknow: Orthopaedic surgeons at King George's Medical University (KGMU) have relieved Veer Bhadra, a farmer, of pain and stiffness with the first elbow replacement surgery here. Prof Shailendra Singh, operating...
Fast changes in dopamine levels may determine human behaviour: Study
New York: Scientists are studying dopamine to understand decision-making and human behaviour. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced in the brain that serves as a chemical messenger, facilitating communication between nerve...
No new virus behind China pneumonia outbreak: US CDC
Washington: The recent pneumonia outbreak in China among young children is not caused by any new virus, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), even as Ohio becomes...
Covid caused spike in premature births, maternal vax lowered risk
New York: Covid-19 caused an alarming surge in premature births, but vaccines were key to returning the early birth rate to pre-pandemic levels, according to a new analysis of birth...
Number of patients spikes as air quality dips in Lucknow
Lucknow: The deteriorating air quality in Lucknow has led to a surge in patients with respiratory and eye-related problems. Doctors at the King George’s Medical University (KGMU), SPM Civil Hospital,...
New AI tool identifies non-smokers at high risk for lung cancer
New York: A novel artificial intelligence (AI) tool can identify non-smokers who are at high risk for lung cancer using a routine chest X-ray image, according to researchers, including one...
Monitoring outbreak of H9N2 cases in China, India prepared for any health exigency: Health Ministry
New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry on Friday said it is closely monitoring the reported outbreak of H9N2 cases and clusters of respiratory illness in children in northern China and...
Ultra-processed foods may up mouth, throat & oesophagus cancer risk
London: Eating more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) may be associated with a higher risk of developing cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract (including the mouth, throat and oesophagus), according to a...
Can we do away with animal trials in medical research?
Aligarh: Can we do away with the practice of conducting experiments on animals for developing drugs to cure human? Is genetic similarity with humans enough to take animals as subject...
Covid likely to settle as seasonal flu, peak in colder months
New York: SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind Covid-19, will likely settle into a seasonable rhythm like influenza, becoming most active during the colder months in northern climes and subsiding in summer,...
Current vitamin D doses may not help patients achieve optimal levels
New York: Current dosing recommendations are not helping patients achieve optimal Vitamin D levels, two new studies have found. Low levels of Vitamin D have been shown to be associated...
Dead bodies get mixed up in Kerala mortuary
Thiruvananthapuram: Things went for a toss at a private hospital in Kanjirapally in Kerala's Kottayam district on Thursday morning, after the relatives, who came to get the dead body of...
