WASHINGTON — President Biden’s coronavirus response team warned Americans on Tuesday that they must do more to protect against Covid-19 because the highly transmissible subvariant of Omicron known as BA. 5 is fueling a new wave of infections, reinfections and hospitalizations across the country.
But their new strategy for combating the threat sounded a lot like the old one, framed as advice they hope more people will follow: get vaccinated or boosted even if you’ve already been infected; test if you feel sick; seek treatment if you test positive and wear masks in crowded indoor spaces.
“Variants will continue to emerge if the virus circulates around the world and in this country,” Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Mr. Biden’s chief medical adviser on the pandemic, said at a press briefing at the White House. “We shouldn’t let it disrupt our lives. But we cannot deny that it is a reality that we have to face.
“The key feature of BA.5, which we know, is its immune evasion – you can be fully vaccinated and boosted and still be at risk of breakthrough infection,” said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, Immune Response Coordinator. Mr. Biden’s coronavirus. , said Monday in an interview. “You can be already infected – even as recently as the past two months – and have a very high rate of reinfection.”
The White House warning comes as many Americans have turned their attention away from the pandemic. Mask mandates have been dropped in many states and cities, and most travelers no longer wear masks now that a federal judge has banned the Biden administration from requiring them at airports and on public transit.
In New York, which staged perhaps the nation’s most aggressive response to the pandemic when the novel coronavirus first emerged, people are greeting BA.5 with a “meh.”
As part of the BA.5 strategy, federal authorities are considering expanding eligibility for second coronavirus booster shots to adults under 50, according to several people familiar with the thinking. But the decision will be made by the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC, and Dr. Jha was cautious in discussing the idea during the briefing.
A White House fact sheet said the administration would continue to work with state and local leaders to increase the number of Americans taking boosters, with a particular focus on those 50 and older and those who are particularly vulnerable. According to the CDC, less than half of people vaccinated received their first booster, and only 28% of people over the age of 50 received a second booster.
Officials are advising those eligible for boosters to get them even if they were recently infected; Dr. Jha said getting a booster now wouldn’t prevent Americans from getting another one in the fall, when variant-specific booster shots will likely be available.
The CDC recommends that people with Covid-19 delay vaccination until they are cured and have met the criteria to stop self-isolating. While the agency says people can choose to delay vaccination for up to three months, a spokeswoman said Tuesday that was “not a standard time required” to wait between infection and a vaccination.
“If you haven’t had a vaccine this year, go get one now,” Dr Jha said. “It could save your life.”
The daily number of reported cases in the United States has remained stable at around 100,000, according to a New York Times database – a figure that many experts say is an undercount because so many people are testing at home. But since Monday, hospitalizations have increased 17% over the past two weeks, according to federal data.
In the interview, Dr Jha said that figure could reflect those who are hospitalized for medical conditions other than Covid, but who test positive for the virus. However, many Americans have underlying health conditions and if infected with the coronavirus, they are at risk of developing more serious illness. Dr. Jha also suggested Americans get tested before attending large indoor gatherings or visiting a high-risk immunocompromised person.
During Tuesday’s briefing, Dr Fauci said the increase in hospitalizations – including an increase in the number of Covid-19 patients who end up in intensive care units – most likely reflected a sharp rise in the number of infections. not reported. On Monday, nationwide, the average number of people in intensive care units with the virus had risen 21% over the past two weeks, to more than 4,200, according to federal data. The latter figure, which represented around 11% of people hospitalized with the virus, was significantly lower than it was in late January during Omicron’s winter surge.
Some other experts said the rise in hospitalizations indicates a BA.5 surge is already underway.
“We’re buzzing,” said Dr. Eric Topol, cardiologist and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. Referring to the early days of Omicron’s first surge, he added: “It won’t be as bad as what we went through in January. But it’s not good. And we basically let our guard down.
In a recent article on Substack, Dr. Topol called BA.5 “the worst version of the virus we’ve seen”.
In recent weeks, fewer than 400 coronavirus deaths have been reported each day, according to the Times database, compared to more than 2,600 per day at the height of Omicron’s surge. Still, if there were 300 deaths every day for a year, that would be more than 100,000 deaths – a figure Dr Jha called “unacceptable”. By comparison, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the flu claimed between 12,000 and 52,000 deaths in the United States each year from 2010 to 2020.
But Dr. Jha said in the interview that the administration may not have enough doses for every American who wants one in the fall because Congress has refused to allocate any additional pandemic aid. In the event of a shortage, he said, the administration would prioritize older Americans and those with specific vulnerabilities.
To pay for new doses, the administration diverted money from other programs, including one supporting testing for the virus. Looking ahead, Dr Fauci said it was “essential” that the government and drugmakers work together to develop the next generation of vaccines and therapies. “And for that,” he said, “we need the support of Congress in resources for us.”