SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Bay Area COVID-19 infection rates are coming down slightly from their peak several weeks ago, but cases could remain high, health experts warn.
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Dr. Dean Blumberg, UC Davis Health infectious disease specialist, told KCBS Radio's "Ask An Expert" the rates of infection are five times higher than they were in March.
"The rates of infection are about five times higher. They seem to be peaking though and it looks like there's a gradual drop off. I'm hoping they’ll decrease and maybe we'll have a nice summer," he said.
Compared to omicron, the peak and downfall of this recent surge has been slightly blurred as cases continue to stay high. "I think what happened with omicron is it was so transmissible that virtually everybody got it unless they were immune from previous infection or from some vaccination. I think there's some varying immunity from that wave of infection," Blumberg explained.
One reason for the maintained case rates is the resurgence of subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.
"The BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of omicron seem to be 25% more transmissible than previous strains. They now account for about 35% of circulating strains so it is of concern," the UC Davis health expert explained, meaning that COVID-19 infection could continue to surge.
However, "even with an increasing proportion of BA.4, BA.5, there does seem to be a leveling off in transmission rate," Blumberg added.
Moving forward, Blumberg urged that people 50 years and up receive their second booster as those who have only received one boost have a four times increased risk of hospitalization compared to those who've had two.
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