Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that two omicron subvariants resistant to major antibody therapies are on the rise in the United States.
Subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 now account for 27% of infections in the United States, compared with about 16% of new cases the week before, according to CDC data released on Friday. increased significantly.
Omicron BA.5 is still the dominant variant, but is declining weekly. It now accounts for about 50% of US infections, down from 60% the week before, according to data.
President Joe Biden warned this week that people with compromised immune systems are at particular risk this winter because antibody treatments are ineffective against emerging subvariants.
BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 may be resistant to Evusheld and bebuterobimab, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Evusheld is an antibody cocktail administered as two injections that people over the age of 12 with moderately or severely weakened immune systems take to prevent Covid-19. Bebtelovimab is a monoclonal antibody she takes to treat Covid after infection.
Mr Biden urged people with weakened immune systems to consult their doctors about what precautions they should take. He said the United States is running out of options for treating vulnerable people because it has not been able to hand over more money for its Covid response.
“As the pandemic progressed and the fight against this virus progressed, we hoped to expand our medicine cabinet,” Jha told reporters this week. The government is actually shrinking, putting vulnerable people at risk.”
It is unknown how well the new booster will defend against variants such as BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. Jha says these subvariants are included in the updated vaccine He is a descendant of BA.5, so the booster should offer better protection than the old shot.
Two independent studies this week by Columbia and Harvard found that the Omicron booster did not work better than conventional shots against BA.5. The Food and Drug Administration said the study was too small to draw any definitive conclusions.
The CDC, FDA, and White House Covid Task Force believe the new shot will prove more effective than the first-generation vaccine because it is better adapted to the circulating variants. I’m here.
“Based on what we know about immunology and the science of this virus, these new vaccines offer better protection against infection, better protection against transmission, and ongoing better protection against serious illness. It is reasonable to expect that
Jha called on all eligible Americans to get an omicron booster and a flu shot by Halloween to be protected when families start gathering for the holidays.
