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Omicron subvariant BA.2 rising in South Florida

Researchers in lab coats and masks look at a computer screen in a laboratory.
Evan Garcia
/
University of Miami via Miami Herald
University of Miami researchers have been tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants through genomic sequencing. In this photo, Dr. David Andrews, associate professor at UM’s Miami Miller School of Medicine, reviews data with senior medical technologist Ranjini Valiathan and Paola Pagan, executive director of laboratory operations.

Two years and four waves into the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s starting to feel like déjà vu all over again.

A new subvariant of omicron, called BA.2, is driving most new COVID-19 infections around the world and now accounts for about 1 in 3 cases in the United States and more than half in certain regions, according to surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC data show that in the Southeast, including Florida, BA.2 made up about 1 in 5 cases where virus samples were sequenced during the week ending March 19, the most recent period available. Elsewhere, including the New England region, the omicron subvariant makes up more than half of all cases.

Read more from our news partners at the Miami Herald.

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