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‘Stealth omicron’ on the rise in New England

COVID-19 testing
Joe Amon / Connecticut Public/NENC
A COVID-19 nasal swab is submerged in testing fluid.

The United States is close to reaching the devastating statistic of 1 million documented COVID-19 deaths, just as epidemiologists are keeping a close eye on a new subvariant called “stealth omicron.”

It’s known as “stealth” because BA.2’s genetic mutations make it harder to distinguish from the delta variant in PCR tests than the original omicron variant, according to the American Medical Association.

In New England, BA.2 accounts for 55% of all COVID-19 cases, compared to 35% of cases nationally, per the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But doctors say they are not overly concerned yet, even though the highly transmissible BA.2 is thought to be more contagious than previous variants.

“I do expect an increase in our cases, but I’m not that worried yet about a surge or a spike at this point,” said Dr. Ulysses Wu, chief epidemiologist and director of infectious diseases at Hartford HealthCare.

He added that BA.2 is clinically similar to the previous omicron BA.1 variant, and physicians know how to treat it.

Still, Wu and other experts are especially concerned about unvaccinated people.

“We know that the vaccines can really reduce the risk of severe disease, which includes hospitalization and death,” said Dr. Scott Roberts, associate director of infection prevention at Yale. “So when we’re seeing areas of low vaccine uptake, that really concerns me, especially at this time when people are removing masks, when people are returning to normal life.”

Statewide, 78% of the population is fully vaccinated, and 50.6% have had a booster shot.

Community groups across the state are working to increase vaccination rates. Black churches have hosted vaccine clinics, and in New Haven, churches have been showing videos on vaccine education.

Sujata Srinivasan is Connecticut Public Radio’s senior health reporter. Prior to that, she was a senior producer for Where We Live, a newsroom editor, and from 2010-2014, a business reporter for the station.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Fund the Facts

You just read trusted, local journalism that’s free for everyone, thanks to donors like you.

If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — Connecticut.

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.