The latest omicron variant, BA.5, is now the dominant COVID strain in the U.S. right now. It’s also the most transmissible yet.
As much of the country went maskless this summer, the variant caused COVID to surge. President Joe Biden tested positive twice in July.
Cases in Los Angeles went up by 50 percent in July. Daily COVID deaths doubled. Health officials were weighing whether to reinstate an indoor mask mandate but decided not to after a decline in cases.
In New York City, hospitalizations rose to 70 percent in over a month.
As cities and states cope with another spike, the Biden administration is also responding to an outbreak of monkeypox. The WHO said the outbreak of the disease is a global health emergency.The CDC has identified more than5,000 knowncases of monkeypoxin the U.S., the highest number of casesglobally.
Some cities and states have declared their own public health emergencies as they wait for the federal government’s response. The first U.S. casewas identified in May, andthe caseload isnowoutpacing the rollout of vaccines.
So, how did monkeypox spread so quickly? And what can be done to limit the spread?
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