What is the latest COVID-19 variant in the US?
Currently, BA.5 (dark green) is the dominant COVID-19 variant nationwide, followed by BA.4.6. Source: CDC Variant Proportions on August 25, 2022.
Is COVID-19 still a threat to us?
But experts caution that COVID remains a threat. “Were making progress, lots of progress,” said Eric Rubin, adjunct professor of immunology and infectious diseases, “but our lives are still disrupted” by the pandemic.
Is the COVID-19 pandemic over?
With over 1 million deaths this year alone, the pandemic remains an emergency globally and within most countries. “The COVID-19 summer wave, driven by Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, showed that the pandemic is not yet over as the virus continues to circulate in Europe and beyond,” a European Commission spokesperson said.
How do mutations in the virus that causes COVID-19 happen?
When viruses infect you, they attach to your cells, get inside them, and make copies of their RNA, which helps them spread. If there’s a copying mistake, the RNA gets changed. Scientists call those changes mutations.
What is the most common variant of COVID-19 in the United States?
In late August 2022, a strain called BA.5—the most contagious one so far along with BA.4, another subvariant—is causing more than 88% of cases, making it the predominant strain in the United States. (BA.4 accounts for about 8% of all U.S. COVID cases.)
What are the most common symptoms of the Omicron BA.5 variant?
The most common symptoms include fever, runny nose, coughing, sore throat, headache, muscle pain and fatigue.
How many times can a person get COVID-19?
Maybe you thought it was like chickenpox — if youve had it once, youre immune forever, and you can put your worries away for good. Unfortunately, thats not the case. You can get COVID-19 more than once. Many times, in fact.
Is the new booster free?
Like earlier coronavirus vaccines, the updated boosters will be free. The new boosters — the first changes since the mRNA vaccines were rolled out in December 2020 — target the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants dominant in the United States.
What is a mutation?
Mutation: A mutation refers to a single change in a virus’s genome (genetic code). Mutations happen very frequently, but only sometimes change the characteristics of the virus.
Is the delta variant of COVID-19 more transmissible than omicron?
The original strain of Omicron was more transmissible than Delta was. One explanation was that more than 30 of Omicron’s mutations are on the virus’s spike protein, the part that attaches to human cells, and several of those are believed to increase the probability of infection.
What are some symptoms of the COVID-19 Omicron subvariant?
Compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants, the Omicron variant is associated with generally less severe symptoms that may include fatigue, cough, headache, sore throat or a runny nose.
Is runny nose & sore throat a key symptom of COVID-19 Omicron subvariant BA.2?
And while these symptoms arent typically a cause for concern, a runny nose and sore throat are also key symptoms of the now-dominant omicron subvariant of COVID-19, BA.2, leaving many people to wonder if their symptoms are simply allergies, or COVID-19.
How long after a positive COVID-19 test do you remain contagious?
Those who do get infected with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 will likely remain infectious no longer than 10 days after symptoms begin. Individuals with severe-to-critical illness stemming from a COVID infection likely aren’t infectious 20 days after symptoms first began.
Can you be infected with COVID-19 twice?
It’s possible. Research shows you can get it twice. Even more than twice, in some cases.
Is the COVID-19 Omicron booster free of charge?
Is the new COVID-19 booster vaccine free?
Insured and uninsured Americans can receive the new bivalent Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 booster and other COVID-19 vaccines at no cost as long as the federal government continues to purchase and distribute them, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced today.
How many mutations are in the spike protein variant of COVID-19 Omicron?
The Omicron variant contains at least 32 mutations in the spike protein, which was twice as many as the Delta variant. Studies have shown that carrying many mutations can increase infectivity and immune escape of the Omicron variant compared with the early wild-type strain and the other four VOCs.
Is the Omicron COVID-19 variant less severe than Delta?
Kaiser Permanente study shows that coronavirus infections caused by omicron variant had less severe outcomes and shorter hospital stays than those caused by delta.
Is Delta more transmissible than the Alpha COVID-19 variant?
It’s estimated that Delta caused more than twice as many infections as previous variants—in Connecticut, it was estimated to have been 80 to 90% more transmissible than the Alpha variant.
Is lower back pain associated with the omicron COVID-19 variant?
A report from South Africa’s largest health insurer found that a sore throat, congestion, dry cough and lower back pain ranked among the most common early omicron symptoms.
What are some of the symptoms of the COVID-19 variant Omicron?
Symptoms of Omicron can be similar to the original COVID-19 virus and other variants, which can include a combination of the following: fever, cough, congestion, runny nose, headache, sore throat, muscle pains/aches and fatigue. “Fever, cough and headache look to be the most common symptoms from the current data.
Is COVID-19 contagious after 5 days?
If after five days you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication, and your symptoms are improving, or you never had symptoms, you may end isolation. But if you’re still getting a positive test after six to 10 days, Arwady said you could still be contagious.
Could you still be contagious after 10 days if you test positive for COVID-19?
What is an Omicron booster vaccine called?
Moderna, Pfizer begin omicron booster roll out The shots — also known as bivalent vaccines —are designed to target both the original coronavirus strain and the currently circulating omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.
When can I get an Omicron COVID-19 booster vaccine?
The CDC recommends that people wait at least two months after a recent coronavirus vaccine dose before getting a bivalent booster, and three months after a COVID-19 infection.