The Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants are quickly becoming the country’s dominant strain, and Central New York is no exception. Experts in Onondaga County are concerned about booster rates as the new variants spread.
BA.4 and BA.5 were first detected at the beginning of the year in South Africa, but the United States is just recently feeling their impact. Dr. Stephen Thomas, a professor at Upstate Medical University and the principal investigator of the Pfizer/BioNTech phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial, said medical professionals are still trying to figure out how dangerous this variant could be.
“Even though it seems more infectious, and even though it seems that it can invade both vaccine and naturally induced immunity, the jury is still out on whether it causes more severe disease,” Thomas said.
Thomas said to curb the risk of severe infection, residents should stay up-to-date on coronavirus vaccinations, but rates are low in Onondaga County.
“We have very poor booster rates here. We did a very good job of people getting their primary vaccination series, but in terms of boosters—like one out of three people have received boosters,” Thomas said.
Although the current booster shots may not be ideal for preventing infection from BA.4 and BA.5, better-tailored vaccines may be on the way. But Upstate Medical University's chair of public health and preventative medicine, Dr. Chris Morley, said he’s worried residents may still not get them.
“I’m concerned that when we have new boosters that are specifically protective against Omicron variants, people won’t be receptive to those as well, and that’ll be really important based upon what I’ve seen in the data,” Morley said.
Some people still have concerns about vaccines. But Morley said he and his family have received all the doses they can.
"I personally was eligible for a second booster — I'm four shots in," Morely said.
Both Upstate doctors said people should take advantage of the summer and gather outdoors where transmission is less likely.