July 7

Infections with Omicron subvariant BA.4 or BA.5 are now estimated to account for 70 percent of new cases in the United States.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its weekly report as of July 2.

The CDC estimates that the BA.5 subvariant is now responsible for 53.6 percent of new cases nationwide, while BA.4 makes up 16.5 percent.

The numbers of new cases with the two subvariants have surged over the past month from a combined 15. 7 percent reported as of about a month ago.

The monthly tally of new COVID-19 cases had leveled off at around 100,000 since mid-May.

Actual numbers are considered higher than the CDC reports.

As of Sunday, the weekly average of new hospitalizations had increased about 14 percent from the same period of last month.

The US government is preparing for a possible new wave of infections starting as early as this fall. It is recommending that pharmaceutical companies include components tailored to fight BA.4 and BA.5 in their booster vaccines. It is also calling on people aged 50 and older to get their fourth shot.

NHK