Faced with the increase in hospitalizations and deaths due to new omicron variants in recent weeks, states and cities in the United States are rethinking their responses to COVID-19 and the White House has redoubled its efforts to alert the population.
Some experts say the warnings are too few and too late.
The highly contagious BA.5 variant now accounts for 65% of total cases, while its cousin BA.4 contributes another 16%. The variants have shown a remarkable ability to evade the protections provided by previous infections and vaccinations.
“The warnings are long overdue,” said Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, a nonprofit organization that focuses on research and education in the biomedical sciences. Topol considers the BA.5 to be “the worst variant yet”.
The global trends of the two mutations have been apparent for weeks, experts say: They rapidly outcompete older variants and skyrocket the number of cases wherever they emerge. Despite this, Americans have thrown away their masks and resumed travel and social gatherings. In addition, they have largely ignored the application of booster doses, which protect against the worst consequences of COVID-19. The courts have blocked federal requirements for the use of masks and the administration of vaccines, leaving the authorities with their hands tied.
“We learn a lot from how the virus is acting elsewhere, and we should apply that knowledge here,” said Ali Mokdad, a professor of health sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle.
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha appeared on television Wednesday morning to promote booster doses of the vaccine and renewed vigilance. However, Mokdad said federal health officials need to more aggressively promote the wearing of masks indoors, early detection and promptly applied antiviral treatments.
“They’re not doing all they can,” Mokdad said.
The challenge facing the government, according to the White House, is not the message, but the willingness of the population to listen to it, due to fatigue from the pandemic and the politicization of the response to the virus.
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