Latest case numbers remain steady, but surge could be coming 'sooner than many people thought'
San Diego’s weekly COVID-19 report shows steady new-case numbers, but there are signs, experts say, that BA.2, the new subvariant that has caused surges in Europe and Asia, has already taken a significant hold here.lists only 140 confirmed BA.2 cases across the region. But confirming the variant’s presence requires time-consuming genetic sequencing work. A happenstance feature of the original Omicron variant helps see the current picture more quickly.
It’s a similar situation today, noted William Lee, chief science officer for Helix, a San Diego-based testing company with a national footprint that has delivered more than 10 million results during the pandemic. The targeted portions of the S gene are intact for BA.2, Lee noted, just as they were for Delta. It was not too long ago that nearly 100 percent of test results had omitted the S gene target, suggesting that Omicron was everywhere.
While the current moment feels like a lull, the greater transmissibility of BA.2, Lee warned, is likely to cause a surge in infections relatively soon.Omicron caused fewer severe cases than the variants that came before it and, while BA.2 seems to be more easily spread, earlyhave indicated that it is not expected to cause significantly more hospitalizations and deaths.
A total of 2,774 coronavirus cases were reported over the past week compared to 2,987 the previous week, according to the county’s update Wednesday. The report included 13 additional deaths of which four were fully vaccinated and nine were not. All, save two whose medical histories are pending, had other underlying conditions present at the time of their death.