Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday the latest COVID-19 variant spreading across the United States is more transmissible than its predecessors but does not appear to be “more severe” and should not prompt renewed restrictions.
Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the new variant, known as BA.2, is 50% to 60% more transmissible than previous versions.
“So it does have an increased transmission capability,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.” “However when you look at the cases they do not appear to be any more severe and they do not appear to evade immune responses — either from vaccines or prior infections.”
Dr. Fauci said he does not expect to foresee a surge of new cases, adding that people should continue to get vaccinated and boosted.
The BA.2 variant appears to be on its way to becoming the dominant COVID strain, he said.
Dr. Fauci said he does not see the need to reverse the relaxation of coronavirus protocols.
“I don’t think so … Not right now,” he said. “I don’t see us going back into any more really very restrict kinds of restrictions. But you always have to have the flexibility.”
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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