A new study claims that the latest omicron subvariant can reinfect people who have been vaccinated or already been infected with COVID.
The study in the New England Journal of Medicine discovered that omicron subvariant, BA.4.6, can reinfect individuals by escaping the antibodies produced through infection or vaccination.
The subvariant only accounts for 12% of COVID cases nationwide and it’s far from the last subvariant we’ll see in the coming months.
“They’re all kind of duking it out, it’s like sibling rivalry,” said UCSF Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong.
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Chin-Hong called these new subvariants, which include BQ.1 and BF.7 the “grandchildren” of the omicron variant. But he said the combination of recent waves of infection and high vaccination rates in the Bay Area should mean fewer hospitalizations compared to last year.
Chin-Hong understands there’s some vaccine fatigue but with new variants emerging, he said the more protection, the better.
Pete Suratos has more in the video above.
