New Omicron Covid-19 Subvariants on the Rise in U.S., CDC Says

[Gaugamela]

4. This from Nature regarding the subvariants and the new boosters:

Boosters, including bivalent vaccines, are likely to offer some protection against infection with emerging variants. But this might not last long, say scientists. One part of the bivalent vaccines is based on an Omicron subvariant — BA.1 in UK-approved vaccines and BA.5 in the United States. But there are signs that the vaccines tend to stimulate the production of neutralizing antibodies that best recognize not Omicron, but the ancestral virus on which the first vaccines were based. A second dose of the boosters might be needed to generate high levels of Omicron-specific neutralizing antibodies, says Cao.

Fortunately, all evidence suggests that COVID-19 vaccines old and new remain highly effective at preventing severe disease, which Nuzzo argues should be the main goal of autumn and winter booster programmes. This means concentrating booster campaigns on those at the highest risk of severe disease, including older people and people with underlying health conditions, who will benefit the most from the added protection. “We need a laser focus on protection against severe illness,” she says.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03157-x