Just as many of us are moving on with our lives as the coronavirus pandemic enters its third year, the nation's top infectious disease expert is warning that the United States could soon get hit with another wave of cases.
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Dr. Anthony Fauci said there could be an "uptick" in coronavirus cases, similar to what has happened in Europe, fueled by an omicron subvariant. On ABC's "This Week," Fauci said the variant, called BA.2, is about 50% to 60% more contagious than the original omicron variant.
"It does have increased transmission capability," Fauci said. "However, when you look at the cases, they do not appear to be any more severe and they do not appear to evade immune responses either from vaccines or prior infections."
Right now BA.2 is responsible for 80% to 85% of cases worldwide, Fauci said. It only accounts for about 30% of new cases in the U.S., but that is likely about to change. "Ultimately, over time, it might take over as the dominant variant," Fauci said.
"The bottom line is we likely will see an uptick in cases," he added.
Health officials are watching the variant overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom which has seen an increase in cases, Fauci added.
"They've had the same situation as we have now...they had a relaxation of some of the restrictions, such as indoor masking, and there's a waning of immunity,' he said.
Even if the case numbers spike, Fauci doesn't think it would get to the point where restrictions are reinstated
"If we do see a significant surge, particularly one that might result in increased hospitalizations, we have to be prepared to pivot and perhaps reinstitute some of those restrictions," he said. "But right now, at this point, I don’t see that."
The country could avoid a surge, Fauci added, if people continue to get vaccinated and boosted.
"We only still have about 65% of our population has been vaccinated, and of those who are eligible for a booster, only about 50% of them have been boosted," he said.
Fauci added that the nation should not "declare victory, because this virus has fooled us before and we really must be prepared for the possibility that we might get another variant." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 31,246 new cases nationwide on Sunday, down significantly from December and January when an omicron surge caused the daily average count to spike to over 750,000 cases.
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