New York officials say a pair of newly discovered subvariants of the coronavirus can spread 25% faster than the dominant BA.2 variant and are contributing to a rise in cases.
The spinoffs — known as BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1 — rose to prominence in central New York in March, accounting for 70% of cases before the level rose to 90% this month.
The neighboring Finger Lakes region is also impacted, with the subvariants accounting for about one in five cases.
“We are alerting the public to two omicron subvariants, newly emerged and rapidly spreading in upstate New York, so New Yorkers can act swiftly,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said Wednesday. “While these subvariants are new, the tools to combat them are not. These tools will work if we each use them: get fully vaccinated and boosted, test following exposure, symptoms, or travel, consider wearing a mask in public indoor spaces, and consult with your healthcare provider about treatment if you test positive.”
The discovery by sequencers at the state’s Wadsworth Center and other laboratories coincided with an uptick in reported infections in New York and other parts of the Northeast.
The Empire State is averaging more than 5,000 cases per day compared to about 1,600 in early March. So far, there is no evidence the new subvariants cause more severe disease than the initial omicron variant or BA.2 subvariant.
The gradual increase in cases is not as severe as the massive holiday spike caused by the initial omicron variant.
President Biden and other officials are trying to weather any increase by promoting vaccination and treatment instead of calling for sweeping restrictions.
However, the administration recently extended its mask mandate on public transportation from April 18 to May 3 and the city of Philadelphia will reimpose its mask mandate on Monday.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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