ORLANDO, Fla. – The BA.2 variant is spreading across the U.S and doctors say it is causing a slight rise in COVID-19 cases.
University of Washington Epidemiology professor, Dr. Ali Mokdad, said the omicron subvariant is more contagious, but it is not a cause for concern.
“That rise is mainly due to change in behaviors,” Mokdad said.
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More people are beginning to travel and congregate indoors. Less people are wearing masks.
Mokdad said about 25% of people are wearing face coverings around the U.S., the lowest since April 2020.
“Because of change in behavior and weaning immunity from vaccines and previous infections, many people are susceptible and getting infected,” Mokdad said.
Of all the people getting infected with the virus, those numbers are not reflecting in the COVID-19 data.
Mokdad said it is because many people are asymptomatic, and others are not doing their due diligence.
“Many people right now are testing themselves at home using these home tests and they don’t go and report it to the county,” Mokdad said.
Although the number of cases may be lower than it should be, Mokdad said the incomplete data is not masking a big surge.
“We’re slowing down. It’s not because we’re under reporting, because COVID-19 infections are slowing down in our community,” Mokdad said.
He said that could change as we approach winter.
“All of us who [have] received a vaccine or booster, five months after that if we don’t get another booster, we’re susceptible to getting infected,” Mokdad said.
He said before winter we will need another vaccine. If that does not happen, he projects a surge. By that time, there may be a new method of testing available to patients.
The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization to a new COVID-19 test. It is called the InspectIR COVID-19 breathalyzer. It can detect infections with a breath sample and the device can yield results in approximately three minutes.
In a study of 2,409 people with and without symptoms, the FDA said the device spotted 91.2% of cases.
The FDA suggests after receiving positive results from the device, patients should follow with a molecular test.
The device can be used in hospitals, doctors’ offices and at mobile testing sites.
The FDA said the company can produce about 100 instruments each week.