RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond continues to stay within the “Excessive” class for COVID-19 group unfold. Statewide, the Virginia Division of Well being reviews practically 3,300 newly confirmed instances of the virus over the past 24 hours.
In line with the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Affiliation, about 670 sufferers are in state hospitals with COVID-19.
Docs say a brand new pressure of the Omicron variant, BA.5, is to be blamed for the rise in infections.
“It’s completely regarding for an additional wave, we’re seeing increasingly more hospitalizations, extra instances, in order that definitely suggests one other wave,” Dr. Gonzalo Bearman, VCU Well being’s Chief of Infectious Illness.
The BA.5 variant now makes up for greater than half of the infections in america. In Virginia and neighboring states, 41% of recent instances will be tied again to this new variant.
Cat Lengthy with the Richmond Henrico Well being District (RHHD) mentioned the well being division anticipated new variants to proceed to trigger an infection.
“We’re anticipating that BA5 is fairly transmissible and even perhaps extra transmissible than earlier Omicron variants,” Lengthy mentioned.
Dr. Bearman mentioned that although BA.5 is just not anticipated to be extra extreme than different omicron variants, immunity from prior an infection or vaccines might not maintain up because it used to.
“It permits the virus to evade the immunity that’s created both by prior an infection or by the vaccines and it could additionally latch itself higher or extra effectively to respiratory cells that trigger infections,” Dr. Bearman mentioned.
“There have been reviews of some individuals who had Omicron in December or January, a few of these earlier variants, getting reinfected with this present variant,” Lengthy mentioned.
Richmond is amongst 20 different localities now advisable to reinstate common masking.
One factor RHHD believes can carry constructive COVID-19 case numbers down, is getting children ages 6 months and up vaccinated. Lengthy famous the vaccine uptake for that age group is slowing down, whereas the speed of infections hastens.
“Infants are actually informally recognized amongst relations of being a very good vector of spreading sickness as a result of everyone seems to be choosing them up and loving on them,” Lengthy did.
As for the severity of the brand new wave, Dr. Bearman mentioned that is still to be seen.
“Whether or not or not that interprets into not solely hospitalizations however extra extreme sickness, and even worse outcomes comparable to deaths, that’s but to be seen in order that’s not recognized but.”
Bearman mentioned he does anticipate new vaccines to be out there this fall or winter to maintain up with the altering variants.
