Months after it sparked a nationwide surge, the omicron subvariant BA.5 continues to remain the most dominant COVID-19 strain in the U.S. Its hold, however, appears to be waning, based on recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
New subvariants could potentially cause more challenges in the coming months, as the weather gets colder and people spend time indoors.
Earlier this week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and White House chief medical advisor, discussed the possibility of another COVID variant emerging in the winter, rendering existing immunity less effective. A new variant, on top of both surges, if they occur, could lead to an increased strain on hospital resources.
"The hope is that it will not be a crazy new variant," the doctor explained."If we can get people vaccinated right now with the updated COVID vaccine that protects against the omicron variants that...we're seeing, we will be in a much better place heading into the fall and winter."