COVID-19 infections continues to spike in US, driven by more contagious subvariants

United States: COVID-19 infections continues to face an uptick, driven by new and more contagious Omicron subvariants by weakening immunity from both vaccines and previous infections and very few people masking up, as per health officials statement made on Wednesday.

According to Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around one-third of Americans now reside in areas with medium or high COVID-19 rates, with recorded cases increasing 26% from last week.

Moreover, as per reports, over 3,000 Americans get admitted to hospitals every day, and 275 of them are dying.

Walensky advised residents in areas where infection and hospitalisation rates are higher to protect themselves by using facial masks in indoor venues as well as getting booster shot if they are already vaccinated, and urged people to get vaccinated if they have not yet received their dose.

Along with this, the Northeast as well as the eastern corridor along with the sections of the upper Midwest have witnessed an uptick in infection and hospitalisations.

She mentioned in the statement, “we’ve always said, put your mask aside when infection rates are low and pick it up again when infection rates are higher.”

A rising tide of Omicron subvariants is in part behind the rise, says Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden.

In addition, in the US only, at least four Omicron subvariants mostly affect people.

BA.2 is the most common, accounting for 50.9 per cent of instances, whereas BA.2.12.1 comes in second with 47.5 per cent. 

Newer strains are even more contagious than older ones, contributing to the rise in incidence.