Here's what makes the increase in BA.5 cases different from previous COVID-19 surges - and why it's more important than ever to get boosted
A new CDC study finds among those 50 and older, those unvaccinated are 29 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those fully-vaccinated and double-boosted.
Genomics researcher Dr. Jasmine Plummer with Cedars-Sinai says the BA.5 variant is more transmissible because it contains spike protein mutations that prevent antibodies from neutralizing it.But by the time vaccines targeting BA.5 arrive this fall, a different subvariant could be dominating. One possible threat is BA.2.75.
"It could be another variant like what happened last summer. We had a variant that came up and then went back down over the summer," Plummer said.
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