Experts say the latest subvariant Omicron BA.2 will soon dominate in the U.S., but White House chief medical advisor Dr. Fauci says he doesn’t expect another surge like what the country experienced earlier this year.
Omicron’s more contagious subvariant, BA.2, has more than doubled in prevalence over the past two weeks alone in the nation.
According to data published this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it now represents more than 34% of Covid-19 infections that have undergone genetic sequencing.
While cases the BA.2 subvariant are rising, leading public health officials are not expecting another intense surge in new cases, primarily due to the level of immunity the population has garnered from vaccination and the severe outbreak during the winter omicron wave.
“The bottom line is we’ll likely see an uptick in cases, as we’ve seen in the European countries, particularly the U.K.,” Dr. Fauci told ABC’s “This Week.” “Hopefully, we won’t see a surge — I don’t think we will,” he continued.