A man undergoes a test for the coronavirus (COVID-19) at a pop-up test site in New York, April 11, 2022.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
Covid infections are increasing again in the United States with outbreaks in New York City and Washington, D.C., leading government officials to contract the virus as the most contagious omicron BA.2 virus spreads across the country.
BA.2 now accounts for 86% of new cases, completely replacing the previous version of omicron that fueled the unprecedented winter wave, according to Covid-surveillance data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday. The BA.2 variant is 30% to 80% more transmissible than the previous omicron BA.1, according to studies from the UK and Denmark.
The United States reported a daily average of about 29,000 new infections as of Sunday, a 10% increase from the previous two weeks, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, infections and hospitalizations are still less than 90% from the peak of Omicron’s increase in January.
Despite the rise in infections, most counties still have low levels of Covid transmission and hospitalization, which means people living in those areas do not need to wear masks indoors under CDC public health guidelines. White House medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said this week that Covid will continue to spread in communities for the foreseeable future, and people will have to make individual decisions about the risks they are willing to take based on their age and health.
“What we hope will happen, and I think will happen, is that you won’t see a similar increase in severity in terms of people requiring hospitalization and deaths,” Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week.” Director of the Center for Disease Control Dr. Rochelle Walinsky previously said there is a high level of immunity in the US population from previous vaccines and infections to provide some protection against BA.2.
Variant BA.2 is more prevalent in the Northeast, where it causes significant outbreaks. BA.2 accounts for 92% of new cases in the area that includes New York and New Jersey, according to CDC data. New York City reported an average of about 1,887 new infections per day through Saturday, a 52% increase over the past two weeks, according to data from the local health department.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams tested positive for the virus Sunday after waking up with a hoarse voice. Adams attended the Gridiron Dinner in Washington, an annual event that brings together prominent government officials and journalists. At least 80 people who attended the dinner, the first since 2019, have tested positive for Covid including several senior government officials, according to Gridiron Club president Tom DeFrank.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, MPs. Joaquin Castro and Adam Schiff and Senator. Susan Collins tested positive after attending dinner.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also tested positive for Covid last week but had no symptoms and did not attend the Gridiron dinner. Pelosi’s positive result came a day after she stood next to President Joe Biden at a sighing ceremony for the bill. Biden, who also did not attend Gridiron Dinner, later tested negative for Covid.
The outbreak among White House Cabinet officials and top lawmakers comes with Washington’s COVID-19 infection rate increasing by 73% in two weeks, although the overall level of transmission remains low compared to winter. BA.2 accounts for 84% of new cases in the Mid-Atlantic region that includes the nation’s capital.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia became the first major city in the United States to reauthorize indoor masking as of April 18. Sheryl Petigol, Philadelphia Health Commissioner.