BA.4 variant said to have evolved ability to escape natural and vaccine-induced immunity
Ongoing genetic analysis has confirmed that three recent San Diego-area coronavirus infections were caused by the BA.4 variant, one of two rapidly spreading typesJust last week, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control announced the new label based on the demonstrated ability of BA.4 and its cousin, BA.5, to “evade immune protection” whether it was caused by vaccination or prior infection.
Thursday’s starkly higher numbers came alongside some good news: Boosters for kids age five to 11 have now been approved by two different federal agencies, and a final OK at the state level is expected soon.Chris Abe, vice president at Rady Children’s Hospital, said there is significant demand for boosters in this age group, and shots are expected to begin going in arms on Tuesday.
Omicron showed that while it was better at transmitting itself from person to person, it was less able to cause severe illness than the variants, such as Delta last summer, that came before it. So far, experts say, BA.4 and BA.5 appear to have a similar severity level, with hospitalization and death less likely but still a possibility when large numbers of cases occur in a compressed timeframe.
The big pain point, he added, could be very similar to Omicron’s. During that coronavirus wave, droves of critical health care workers tested positive, having to stay home all at once and causing a massive staffing shortage that contributed to gridlock in many hospital emergency departments.
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