Omicron BA.2 Variant Represents More Than 50% COVID-19 Cases, Says CDC Estimates: WSJ

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, the omicron BA.2 variant represents approximately 55% of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S., as signs suggest infections are edging higher again in parts of the Northeast.

According to the Wall Street Journal report, the region has the highest BA.2 concentrations, including more than 70% in an area including New York and New Jersey. 

U.S. data remain a mix of positive signs, including counts of hospitalized patients near record lows and some evidence of new pressure as BA.2 spreads.

Related: FDA Says Current Dose Of GSK-Vir's COVID-19 Therapy Unlikely To Work Against Omicron Subvariant.

Disease experts and health officials say that the dropping of precautions meant to restrain the virus, including mask mandates, is likely also playing a role. Case data have become less reliable because more people are swabbing their noses at home with test kits whose results aren't generally captured in state tallies. 

Also See: FDA Authorizes Fourth Dose Of Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines For Older People.

A recent report published by the CDC found that the percentage of surveyed adults with Covid-19-like symptoms who said they had used at-home tests reached 20% during this winter's omicron wave, compared with about 6% during the earlier Delta wave.

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