Omicron sub-variants BA.4, BA.5 account for 21% of COVID variants in U.S. - CDC

Omicron sub-variants BA.4, BA.5 account for 21% of COVID variants in U.S. - CDC The BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron are estimated to make up about 8.3% and 13.3% of the coronavirus variants in the United States as of June 11, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday. Reuters Reuters

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The European Union's disease prevention agency said on Monday the new subvariants are spreading more quickly than other variants, which could lead to more hospitalizations and deaths as they become dominant in the continent.

"I'm very concerned," said Dr. Gregory Poland, head of Mayo Clinic's vaccine research group in Rochester, Minnesota, adding that data from South Africa shows the subvariants are better at circumventing immunity provided through vaccines and previous infections...