Analysis: Evaluating the latest uptick in covid-19 cases from the new varient

Many in the public health world say they aren’t worried at this moment. And there’s a few reasons why. 

Health officials and disease watchers say they’re keeping close tabs on the data, while noting that the hospitalization rates — while slowly increasing — are still hovering near an all-time low. The new subvariant is a descendant of omicron and, though more infectious, doesn’t appear more virulent. And new booster shots projected to be available by the third or fourth week of September are still expected to prevent severe disease, even if they don’t directly target EG.5, multiple experts told The Health 202. 

• “Overall, my level of concern continues to be low,” Mandy Cohen, the new head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recently told “In the Bubble” podcast host and former Biden administration official Andy Slavitt.

... Health experts continue to caution that those high-risk groups are at the greatest risk of severe disease and suggest getting in line for the updated booster shots when they hit the market, despite dismal uptake of the last round.

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