THE Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation on Friday announced that another round of boosters is expected to roll out in the coming months to combat BA.5, a subvariant of Omicron.
Public health medical director and emergency medicine physician Dr. Lily Muldoon said these boosters should provide more protection than previous boosters.
“BA.5 is a lineage of the Omicron variant, which is actually one of the most contagious viruses that we’ve seen so far,” she said. “However, it is not the [deadliest]. That’s why we’re not seeing a high rate of hospitalizations as we had seen in previous surges.”
As the CNMI waits for these new booster shots to roll out, Dr. Muldoon encouraged community members to be proactive in ensuring the safety of the population, especially high-risk individuals, such as the elderly, young children, and individuals with underlying medical conditions.
Covid-19 is still in the community, she said, urging community members to remain vigilant by wearing a mask, washing their hands, and watching their distance.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the three most common lineages of Omicron are currently BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5.
The Omicron variant spreads more easily than earlier variants of the virus that cause Covid-19, including the Delta variant.
The CDC expects that anyone with Omicron infection, regardless of vaccination status or whether or not they have symptoms, can spread the virus to others.
Data also suggests that Omicron can reinfect individuals, even if they have recently recovered from Covid-19.
Omicron infection generally causes less severe disease than infection with prior variants.
CHCC said Covid-19 vaccines remain the best public health measure to protect people from Covid-19, which includes the primary series, booster shots, and additional doses for those who need them.
CHCC is also offering Covid-19 treatment for individuals experiencing severe symptoms. The most common treatment provided is an antiviral drug called Paxlovid.
“I really want to make clear that treatment options exist right now,” Dr. Muldoon said. “Treatment is important to get underway as soon as possible even when symptoms are mild.”
According to Reuters, the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron was estimated to make up 81.9% of the circulating coronavirus variants in the United States for the week that ended July 23.
This was higher than the 75.9% prevalence estimated in the preceding week.
