The White House is warning that while COVID cases are not near where they were at the beginning of the panic, we are not out of the woods just yet.
A COVID variant known as BA.5 is becoming the dominant form of new U.S. cases.
According to the CDC, the BA.5 currently accounts for more than 60 percent of all new infections and reported that there is a risk of re-infection as well.
“The key feature of BA.5, that we know about, is its immune evasiveness — you can be fully vaccinated and boosted and still have a risk of a breakthrough infection,” Dr. Ashish K. Jha, Mr. Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator, said in an interview Monday. “You can be previously infected — even as recent as the last couple of months — and have a very high rate of reinfection.”
The Biden Administration expects cases to rise in the winter months and is urging people to do more to protect themselves against the virus.
“Variants will continue to emerge if the virus circulates globally and in this country,” Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Mr. Biden’s chief medical adviser for the pandemic, said at a White House news briefing. “We should not let it disrupt our lives. But we cannot deny that it is a reality that we need to deal with.”
Officials are advising those who have not already gotten their vaccination or boosters to do so. They are also encouraging social distancing when possible and getting tested if you are feeling ill.