March 24, 2022 – Becker’s Hospital Review reports that the omicron subvariant BA.2 “accounts for more than one-third of COVID-19 cases nationwide and more than half of cases in the Northeast.” BA.2 accounted for an estimated 35% of COVID cases in the week of March 14, which rose from 22% from the week before.
BA.2 has been most prevalent in the Northeastern states of Connecticut, Miane, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Rhode Island has had the highest volume of cases BA.2 cases of all states at 24%.
The BA.2 variant has caused an uptick in cases and hospitalizations in the UK, but Anthony Fauci does not see a major surge as likely. Fauci told The Washington Post, “The of it and the degree to which it impacts seriousness of disease like hospitalizations and death remains to be seen. I don’t really see, unless something changes dramatically, that there would be a major surge.”