Mutations

With the rolling back of mask requirements and physical distancing, many people have been on a search for a new normal. But there is still reason to be cautious. The highly transmissible and contagious BA.2 Omicron subvariant—dubbed “stealth” Omicron—is now the dominant strain in the United States, causing more than 85% of all COVID-19 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This has led to more questions.

Based on the CDC’s genomic surveillance, the BA.2 or stealth Omicron subvariant is responsible for most new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the U.S. BA.2 is a subvariant of the original SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529), along with BA.1.1 and BA.3.

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Read more about AMA primer on what doctors wish patients knew about the BA.2 Omicron subvariant
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Opinion: Now’s not the time to dispense with covid-19 precautions--Washington Post op-ed

Thu, 2022-04-21 20:46 — mike kraft

Opinion | Now’s not the time to dispense with covid-19 precautions Failing to take the current rise of cases seriously could put vulnerable Americans at risk. Washington Post

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Biden administration may not approve covid vaccines until June for kids under 5 --sources

Thu, 2022-04-21 17:39 — mike kraft

Waiting for a Covid vaccine for your under-5 kid? It may take a bit longer. Public health protocols are being relaxed around the country. But the one segment of the population for which the vaccine isn’t authorized is going to have to wait longer. POLITICO

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The Omicron variants: An overview of the tracking and the related research

Thu, 2022-04-21 11:20 — mike kraft

Omicron splinters into fast-spreading lineages, highlighting coronavirus's evolution A burgeoning form of Omicron, called BA.2.12.1 — itself a sublineage of the BA.2 branch — now accounts for nearly one in five cases of Covid-19 in the U.S. Andrew Joseph STAT

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Vaccine research: CureVac, GSK's experimental COVID variant vaccine effective in mice -study

Thu, 2022-04-21 11:09 — mike kraft

CureVac, GSK's experimental COVID variant vaccine effective in mice -study CureVac and GSK's second-generation vaccine candidate targeting two recent COVID-19 variants has been shown to be highly effective in preclinical studies on mice, CureVac said, as it seeks to catch up with rivals' development work. Ludwig Burger Reuters

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CDC advisers consider what's next for Covid-19 boosters

Thu, 2022-04-21 10:48 — mike kraft

CDC advisers mull what's next for Covid-19 boosters Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to mull over what the future of Covid-19 booster shots might look like -- and they acknowledge that entirely different vaccine formulations could be needed. Jacqueline Howard, CNN CNN

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Increased use of home testing means covid cases could be undercounted even more than before

Wed, 2022-04-20 17:51 — mike kraft

Rise in at-home testing means we could be undercounting Covid-19 cases even more than before As the number of Covid-19 cases grows in the United States, experts wonder if the country fully understands the current threat from the pandemic. Jen Christensen, Jacqueline Howard and Deidre McPhillips, CNN CNN

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Omicron Hospitalization Doubled in Unvaxxed Children--CDC

Wed, 2022-04-20 12:05 — mike kraft

CDC: Omicron Hospitalization Doubled in Unvaxxed Children During recent wave, 30% of hospitalized kids ages 5 to 11 had no preexisting conditions Molly Walker medpagetoday

Unvaccinated children ages 5 to 11 were more than twice as likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 during the Omicron wave, and nearly a third of hospitalized kids overall had no underlying medical conditions while about a fifth required intensive care unit (ICU) admission, researchers found.

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