According to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Omicron BA.5 subvariant is the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States.
According to the new estimates released by the CDC, BA.5 made up more than half of the infections last week. Over 70% of the US's COVID-19 cases were recorded over the week ending July 2 with BA.4.
The recent spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations can be traced back to these numbers.
Over the last 14 days, new cases have increased by 10%, hitting a daily average of 105,754. Over the last two weeks, intensive care admissions have risen by 9% to an average of 3,793 cases a day.
BA is subvariant by the Omicron sub. The protection against the virus provided by taking a COVID-19 vaccine can be evaded by 4 and 5 if they have a certain type of genetic abnormality.
The FDA announced on June 30 that it is looking to approve vaccine booster jabs that are meant to protect recipients against the Omicron BA.4 and 5 subvariants.
Peter Marks, the director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement on June 30 that the FDA was advising vaccine manufacturers to update their COVID-19 jabs.
"As we move into the fall and winter, it is critical that we have safe and effective vaccine boosters that can provide protection against circulating and emerging variant to prevent the most severe consequences of COVID-19."
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