Dr Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that the new BA.2 Omicron subvariant could trigger an “increase” in U.S. cases because it provides the dominant load – but the jump should not be as dramatic as previous floods.
The White House chief medical adviser said the highly transmissible new subvariant has already become globally dominant, although it only accounts for about 30 percent of genetically sequenced cases in the United States.
“It’s about 50 to 60 percent or so more transferable [than Omicron]that means, ultimately, over time, it could take over as the dominant variant, “Fauci told ABC” This Week. ”
“The bottom line is that we may have seen an uptick in cases like we have seen in European countries, particularly the UK, where they were in the same situation as we were,” Fauci said.
“They have a relaxation of some of the restrictions like masks, and there is a decrease in immunity,” so with BA.2 on the scene, cases are likely to go up.
Although he said the US “could expect an increase” in seeing cases, he suggested the jump would not be as hard as previous waves.
“Hopefully we will not see any electricity. I do not think we will,” Fauci said.
But the top infectious disease expert has warned that the US still needs to be prepared for other “unexpected” developments.
“We just can not stand still, especially since we appear in a bit of a low-key cases where cases keep coming down, deaths keep coming down, and hospitalizations,” he said. “This is not at all time to declare victory, because this virus has deceived us before, and we really need to be prepared for the possibility that we will get another variant, and we do not want to be caught flat on our feet.”
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