Omicron BA.5: No one is fully protected – DW (English)

Due to the global increase in coronavirus cases caused by theBA.5 subvariant, the World Health Organization (WHO) currently classifiesit as a "variant of concern." Experts at Germany's top health agency have warned that infections will likely increase this summer.

Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country'snational public health organization, reported on June 9that the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are growing faster than all other variants andconcludedthe two could soon be responsible for the majority of the country's cases.

The BA.5 variant already accounts for 10%of current infections twice as many as last week.

The BA.5 variant had already raised concerns in South Africa in early May, but the subsequent wave was relatively small and is currently subsiding.

In Portugal, however, BA.5 is already responsible for 80% of all new infections. The variant is more contagious than its predecessors, like BA.2. Along with being harder for neutralizing antibodies to locate, BA.5 is more transmissible than other omicron subvariants.

Like other omicron subvariants, BA.5 infections are milder than infections with other COVID strains, like delta.

Cases in Germany could pick up again like they did in the winter, health experts warn

The protection provided by COVID vaccines or past infection slowly decreases over time as antibody levels drop.

That means no one is fully protected from BA.5 new infections are possible despite vaccination and/or past infection and occur more frequently than with past variants.

But there have been fewer deaths and hospital admissions. According to experts, this is because many millions of people are vaccinated or have antibodies, making the general immunity of the population higher than at the start of the pandemic.

Nevertheless, the RKI recommends that the elderly and people in risk groups get another their booster vaccine for extra protection.

The COVID vaccines currently available target the variant of the spike protein that was active at the beginning of the pandemic.

However, the virus has evolved and sharpened its ability to evade the antibodies offered by the vaccines.

Despite that, BA.4 and BA.5 appear to be less dangerous. Some experts say that's because the new variants are more likely to infect the upper respiratory tract than the lungs, causing fewer deaths than earlier in the pandemic, when the lungs were more impacted.

Vaccines may not be able to protect well against mild BA.5 infection

The period of time between infection and initial symptoms is shorter in omicron variants than in delta around three days on average.

The protection offered by a basic two-dose vaccine against omicron infection is not optimal, but it still protects against severe cases of illness. A booster vaccine ensures that more antibodies are formed, offering more protection.

Although omicron with its various subtypes is usually much milder than delta, severe symptoms can also occur in rare cases. Additionally,it is not yet clear what long-term consequences an omicron infection can have.

Julius Garza, 14, plays computer games while mourning the loss of his father, who died from COVID-19 in December 2020, in Converse, Texas. Julius remembers more than his brother Aidan about what life was like before that day late in 2015 when Margaret and David adopted the boys. "Dad dying was so far the saddest thing that has ever happened in my life," he says. "I can never forgive that."

Brothers Julius Garza, 14, and Aidan Garza, 12, say a prayer in honor of their father, David Garza, who died from COVID-19. On the 30th of every month, the Garza family commemorates the life of father and husband David, whose birthday was on April 30 and who died on December 30, 2020.

Margaret Garza hugs her son, Julius. His birth mother abandoned him and his brother, and his birth father was sent to prison for abusing his stepsister, pushing them into the foster care system. Now, Julius is struggling to understand losing David after all he went through.

Justise McGowan, 13, also lost her father, who died from COVID-19 in May 2020. She sits on the stairs on the day of her father's birthday, in Matteson, Illinois. "One million COVID deaths, one million empty chairs around the family dinner table, each irreplaceable losses," said President Joe Biden in a televised statement after the US recently surpassed 1 million deaths.

Justise's mother, Dr. Sandra McGowan-Watts, has been trying to maintain as much of her daughter's routine as possible. Last summer, when the bushes in her yard needed to be trimmed, Justise found her dad's hedge trimmers and got to work. "She does the things that he would do," says McGowan-Watts.

Justise pulls a baking sheet of cookies from the oven, a tradition she shared with her father. Life changed for many children overnight, and they have been struggling with the emotional challenges.

No government program at any level is tracking American children, such as Aidan and his big brother Julius, who have lost a parent. But researchers have estimated that more than 213,000 kids have lost at least one primary caregiver to COVID-19.

Aidan often talks about his dad in the present tense, as if David were still right across the living room, sitting in his favorite chair, calling the 12-year-old over to watch a "Star Wars" film. "He's such a warm guy," says Aidan. "Every time I would hug him, I feel like I'm touching a cloud."

Aidan, Julius and Margaret pray together next to David's urn, which they call "the vessel." Margaret made sure that her sons received counseling after their dad died. While many are looking forward to the end of the pandemic, families such as Aidan and Julius' show its profound and enduring impact. "Our 'normal' is not going to be like anyone else's, because we lost someone," says Margaret.

Author: Kevin Mertens (with material from Reuters)

This article has beentranslated from German.

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Omicron BA.5: No one is fully protected - DW (English)