Dr. Jha on what we can expect from COVID-19 next, and how you can prepare – Boston.com

COVIDAshish Jha is now on the hot seat as the new White House coronavirus response coordinator. Washington Post photo by Jabin Botsford

We are in a complicated moment in the pandemic, Dr. Ashish Jha, President Joe Bidens COVID-19 response coordinator, wrote in an op-ed for CNN.com Monday.

While infections in the U.S. are relatively low and hospitalizations are near the lowest levels they have been since March 2020, cases are rising again in many parts of the country due to the more transmissible omicron subvariant called BA.2., he wrote.

Jha wrote that it is unlikely that BA.2 will cause as impactful a surge as the original omicron variant, but that its important that we keep track of it. We should also remember that hundreds of Americans are still dying from COVID-19 each day, he wrote.

We have a choice to make: We can wait and see what happens next, or we can use this moment as an opportunity to prepare, he wrote.

Jha wrote that if we prepare now, we can get ahead of the virus and be ready for the next wave.

As a country, we are still vulnerable to COVID-19, Jha wrote. Not only is BA.2 highly contagious, but many Americans still arent vaccinated or have waning immunity.

Additionally, he wrote, weve seen a new significant variant every four to six months during the pandemic, and theres no reason to think that will change.

We could get lucky. But counting on luck isnt a strategy. Preparation is a strategy, he wrote.

Heres what Dr. Jha says we need to do as a country to prepare:

We can do this. But we need funding to make it happen, Jha wrote.

New, potentially more effective and long-lasting COVID-19 vaccines are expected to come out this fall, he wrote, as well as more treatments for the virus. The U.S. also needs to keep purchasing vaccines for its citizens, he wrote.

None of that is possible without monetary support from Congress, Jha wrote.

Right now, the Biden Administration is asking Congress for $22 billion for COVID-19 relief funds. Jha told NPR that this money is essential for protecting the country against COVID-19, and that its less than the Biden Administration had originally planned to ask for.

Two years ago, it felt like we were at the mercy of this virus that we didnt understand and couldnt counter. That is no longer the case, he wrote.

We now have the know-how and the means to reduce its spread and prevent its most serious consequences. We can save lives, protect people, keep schools open and keep returning to a more normal set of routines.

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Dr. Jha on what we can expect from COVID-19 next, and how you can prepare - Boston.com