With COVID-19 cases continuing to drop across the nation after months' long highs, some experts are warning that a resurgence could be looming in the weeks ahead.
Dr. Michael Osterholm shared more on this and the possibility of a resurgence with News Talk 830 WCCO's Chad Hartman.
On Tuesday, for the first time since Aug. 15, 2021, no one in the state of Minnesota has died from COVID-19. However, despite this milestone, Osterholm warned of a possible spike due to the BA.2 omicron variant.
"Over the next several weeks, we're likely going to see case numbers increasing again," Osterholm said.
While he doesn't know how much cases will rise, Osterholm shared that Europe has seen an increase, and the variant has been there longer than it has been here. Like with most other projections, he feels we could see what they are seeing now, soon.
Those getting infected in Europe are among the unvaccinated, but Osterholm also said that some are breakthrough infections.
"It's not that we're over with it yet, and I think a lot of people want to assume the virus is done with us, but it's not," Osterholm said.
BA.2 is a subvariant of the COVID-19 omicron variant. While omicron was highly-infectious compared to other variants of the virus, Osterholm asked for humility when explaining what he knows, saying there isn't much.
"There's a lot we don't understand or don't know yet about what's happening with COVID in our communities," Osterholm said.
Early reports suggest that BA.2 is anywhere from "30% to 80% more infectious" than the original strain of the omicron variant, according to Osterholm.
"With BA.2, it's unclear if some of the spikes in cases we're seeing, particularly in places like Europe, are related just to BA.2," Osterholm said.
Osterholm explained that it's complicated as the issue could be the subvariant being in the community, but also communities having immunity wane being far out from their vaccinations.
Restrictions being eased could also be a factor in why cases are increasing again in Europe, but Osterholm wanted to make it clear that there is no one specific thing; they are all working together.
As for what we can do to protect ourselves, Osterholm says stay vigilant and don't think COVID-19 has gone away. He says get vaccinated, get boosted, and make smart decisions.
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