The new BA.2 type is expected to increase Covid cases in the US

The new BA.2 type is expected to increase Covid cases in the US

March 23, 2022: -U.S. health experts are warning an emerging, highly contagious Covid omicron variant, called BA.2, could soon lead to another uptick in domestic coronavirus cases.

White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said BA.2 is about 50% to 60% more transmissible than omicron, but it does not appear to be more severe. Health officials continue to stress coronavirus vaccines and boosters remain the best ways to prevent serious illness from the virus.

“It does have increased transmission capability,” Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week.” “However, when you look at the cases, they do not appear to be any more severe, and they do not appear to evade immune responses either from vaccines or prior infections.”

The variant has caused cases to increase in China and parts of Europe. It is estimated to account for about 25% or 30% of new possibilities in the U.S., but it could become the country’s most dominant variant, Fauci said.

Fauci said he expects “an uptick in cases” due to BA.2, but not necessarily a massive surge like other variants have caused. Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently relaxing mask recommendations for most Americans.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a board member of Covid vaccine maker Pfizer and a former head of the Food and Drug Administration, also expressed similar views on BA.2.

Murthy said the variant could cause a new spike in cases, but the country is in a better position than it was in the previous two years when Covid-19 “defined our lives.”

“We should be prepared; Covid hasn’t gone away,” Murthy said during “Fox News Sunday.” “Our focus should be on preparation, not on panic.”

Gottlieb, echoing previous comments days before CNBC, said he also expects “some uptick” due to BA.2 but “not a big wave of infection.”

“I think we’re going to continue to see low infection levels through the summer. But before we get there, we’re probably going to see some tick-up of infection like the Europeans are seeing right now, maybe not as pronounced,” Gottlieb said Sunday during CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

The CDC reported more than 31,200 new Covid-19 cases Saturday, including 958 deaths. Both are significantly down from the beginning of the year.

About Us

We provide the insights on leaders who are responsible for taking their organization to new heights, all the while bringing together a group of talented individuals.

Recent Posts

Noodle.ai | Make Profit Not Waste | Stephen Pratt

Supply chain leaders, including VPs, often find themselves making bets with unknown financial consequences. Having started with largely infeasible plans generated by deterministic “one-number” planning systems, compounded by unexpected supply or demand disruptions, they are forced into last-minute adjustments to meet operational and financial goals.

Intelichain | Revolutionary Supply Chain Planning Solutions | Roei Aviram

Unsurprisingly, today’s supply chain faces numerous issues, including sustainability, technology, global economic and political instability, talent management, and supply chain resilience. Advanced forecasting algorithms and predictive analytics are used in supply chain management to help organizations of all sizes make better decisions by providing insights into what’s going on in their business at any given moment and predicting future trends.

GAINS | Empowering Companies to Make the Right Decision | Bill Benton

Ensuring the right products are in the right place and at the right time is critical for companies also dealing with supply chain constraints and a high degree of variability. Uncertainty has become the name of the game and the only way to effectively optimize inventory through continuous, data-driven assessments, planning, and decision-making.

Extensiv | Creating the Future of Omnichannel Fulfillment | Sheridan Richey

Food Huggers, a consumer brand that designs products to reduce waste at home, may be in an enviable position now but before they found Extensiv Order Manager, managing booming orders and staying on top of inventory was a huge operational challenge. The business has inventory spread across multiple geographically distributed warehouses, with orders received via multiple sales channels, including Shopify storefronts and Amazon.

The new BA.2 type is expected to increase Covid cases in the US