Dominant COVID-19 Strain BA.2 Not Showing Signs of Causing Surge in US

Dominant COVID-19 Strain BA.2 , Not Showing Signs of Causing Surge in US.

CNN reports that BA.2, the now dominant strain of coronavirus in the United States, is living up to its designation as the "stealth variant.".

A subvariant of Omicron, BA.2 is responsible for 3 out of 4 positive COVID-19 cases in the United States.

Still, experts say there is no indication yet that the subvariant could cause another surge in infections.

As BA.2 dominates other coronavirus strains, the overall number of cases in the country has decreased.

This is a clear example of how these two trends are not necessarily tied together.

, Jessica Justman, an epidemiologist at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, via CNN.

Health experts say it's unclear why the United States hasn't experienced the same increase in new infections as Europe.

One theory revolves around estimates that 95% of Americans have differing levels of immunity.

Per the CDC, nearly 45% of Americans currently have infection-related antibodies.

But such high levels of immunity have come at a steep cost.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, over 980,000 Americans have died due to COVID-19.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, over 980,000 Americans have died due to COVID-19