According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Omicron’s most contagious variant, BA.2, has seen more than double its prevalence in the U.S. in the last two weeks. It now accounts for more than 34% in Covid-19 cases that have had genetic sequencing.

Since February 5, 2005, when BA.2 was about 1% of all genetically-sequed virus samples in the United States, BA.2 has steadily grown as a percentage of Covid variants circulating there. According to Ali Mokdad (an epidemiologist at The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington), BA.2 is already responsible for half of all new infections in America.

Walgreens has data that shows BA.2 was the dominant variant, with 51% positive Covid cases in the week to March 19.

The rise in BA.2 in the U.S. is not surprising, but leading health professionals don’t anticipate a dramatic increase in cases. This is due in part to the immunity that the populace has received from vaccines, and the intense outbreak during winter omicron waves.

The bottom line is that we will likely see an increase in cases as we have seen in Europe, particularly in the U.K,” White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci stated to ABC’s “This Week”. “Hopefully we won’t see a surge – I don’t think we will.”

The number of Covid-positive people in Britain has increased 16% by week end, according to official data. Hospital admissions for patients infected with the virus have increased by 20%. According to the U.K. Health Security Agency, BA.2 accounts for 44% of London’s positive cases as of March 10.

Mokdad stated that the U.S. situation is not the same as in Europe because of the higher incidences of omicron over the winter. In recent weeks, European countries have made dramatic changes in their behaviour by lifting restrictions on public health care. This has led to an increase. Mokdad explained that in many areas of the U.S. restrictive measures were not put into place during omicron so it’s less likely to cause new infections.

According to CNBC’s analysis of Johns Hopkins University data, the number of new infections in the U.S. has fallen 96% from January 15, when it was more than 800,000. The decline in new infections has been slowing and the average number of new infections per day seems to be around 31,000, according to a CNBC analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. According to the CDC, hospital admissions for patients suffering from Covid dropped by 90% since January’s peak.

Mokdad believes BA.2 will account for more than 80% in new cases over the next months. However, Mokdad said that the variant’s recent doubling has actually slowed down. IHME expects that new cases will decrease through spring and summer. A second surge is possible in the winter, when immunity has begun to diminish.

Mokdad declared that the pandemic phase is now over. “We’re moving into the endemic stage.”

England’s public health authorities have discovered that the subvariant grows 80% faster then the older version of the omicron (BA.1). according to a briefing paper published earlier this month.Maria Van Kerkhove from the World Health Organization has described BA.2 to be the most transmittable Covid variant and claimed it’s spreading rapidly. This subvariant is now more than 80% in sequenced Covid samples around the world. according to an international database.

As a result of both vaccinations and infections, 95% of U.S. residents 16 years and over had developed antibodies to the virus by December 20, 2021. This was just prior to the Omicron wave peak. according to a CDC survey of blood donor samples. Mokdad stated that this immunity places the U.S. in an excellent position until winter, when protection will begin to fade.

Although the shot protects against severe disease, the antibody levels induced by vaccines begin to decrease after three months. Peer-reviewed studies have shown that younger, healthier people have immunity for at minimum 6 months after recovering from Covid. DenmarkThe U.K. The U.S. Although these studies were not published until omicron was created, scientists in QatarRecently, it was found that those who had been infected 10 months prior to the outbreak of BA.2 were protected by 46% against this illness among people who hadn’t received vaccinations. People with compromised immune system and the elderly are more at risk of reinfection.

BA.2 is not more dangerous than BA.1, but it was still less harmful than BA.1. according to a large real-world studySouth Africa’s National Institute of Communicable Diseases. Reinfection with BA.2 – though possible – appears rare, according to a February studyDenmark’s Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen. Similar conclusions were reached by British public health authorities regarding hospitalizations and reinfections. The peer review of either study is still ongoing.

Jennifer Nuzzo from Johns Hopkins University said, “The fact there are similar clinical manifestations for BA.1 versus Ba.2 gives us a bit of hope that they won’t totally change the game on US in the same manner that omicron changed it from from delta.”

The duration of protection Pfizer’s and Moderna shots offer against mild illnesses from BA.2 is the same as that provided by BA.1. according to a study published this month by scientists based in QatarThe vaccines are not peer reviewed. Three months after receiving the first dose of vaccines, 50% protection was achieved against mild illness caused by both omicron varieties. However, this protection is not negligible thereafter. The two-dose vaccines provide greater than 70% protection from hospitalizations and deaths, while booster doses can increase that protection to over 90%.

Fauci declared this week that Covid’s restrictions don’t need to be reinstated at this point. According to its Covid guidance, the CDC stated that 98% Americans now live in an area where it is no longer necessary for them to use masks indoors. When assessing the danger the virus is posing to American communities, public health officials in the U.S. now focus on hospitalizations and not new infections.

To prevent this virus disrupting everyday life, the Biden administration relies on an antiviral pill strategy that includes testing, vaccination and testing. According to CDC data, 75% of Americans are fully vaccinated.

Paul Offit, an infectious diseases expert from Children’s Hospital Philadelphia said that hospitalizations are a better indicator of serious illness than new infections. Offit stated that between the vaccinations and infections from omicron there is likely sufficient immunity to prevent a significant increase in hospitalizations due to BA.

Offit stated, “For the moment, I prefer to believe that there will be a lot more mild illnesses and less hospitalizations.”