6 COVID experts explain why Omicron BA.5 is such a concern, and what they're doing to avoid it.
Like the Delta variant did last year, the new coronavirus subvariant BA.5 is putting a dent on summer fun — and experts say it's only going to get harder to avoid it in the weeks and months ahead.
The latest subvariant of the novel coronavirus to become dominant in Europe, the United States, and other places is also, in many ways, the worst so far.
The BA.5 subvariant of the basic Omicron variant appears to be more contagious than any previous form of the virus. It’s apparently better at dodging our antibodies, too—meaning it might be more likely to cause breakthrough and repeat infections.
"Those of us who've escaped for 2.5 years… It's gonna be hard to escape this one," said Dr. Preeti Malani, an infectious disease physician from the University of Michigan.
Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said much the same.
"You cannot avoid a respiratory virus like this forever, unless you completely cease interaction with all other human beings," he said.
COVID-19 reinfections are spiking around the globe — in some cases, even people who were infected just weeks or months ago are getting hit with COVID again.
"If you were infected with the original Omicron, or even BA2.12.1, the immunity from those infections does not protect very well against BA.4 and BA.5," leading infectious disease expert Dr. Celine Gounder, editor at large for Public Health at Kaiser Health News, told Insider.
The good news is vaccines still do very well at preventing serious disease in most people, and there are now evidence-based treatments (like Paxlovid) that work well for vulnerable populations, especially when taken early.
But it is getting trickier to avoid a COVID-19 infection altogether, so it's good to develop your own BA.5 action plan.
1. Wear a mask, and reduce social contact before you see older relatives
2. Infection risk is now very high in crowded spaces — even outdoors be careful in crowd
3. Get vaccinated and boosted
4. If you're high risk, make sure you have access to Paxlovid — and take it as early as possible if you get sick
5. Improve indoor air quality: through ventilation (like open windows), filtration, and UV germicides
6. Accept that it's probably going to be years before COVID variants slow down, experts say
Until Next Time: Stay Safe, Stay Healthy and be careful out there
James A Vito,D.M.D