New COVID strain in Charlotte is ‘most transmissible’ variant, local experts warn
Charlotte doctors said a new COVID variant in the state is the most infectious they have seen, leading to an increase in cases and hospitalizations.
Old vaccines are still effective however, and vaccines targeting new strains are on the way, they said.
In the last two weeks, the Omicron sub-variant BA.5 was detected in about 29% of cases statewide, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. BA.5 has rapidly become the dominant variant in other parts of the country as well.
That’s primarily due to its improved ability to reinfect people who are immunized through vaccination or previous infections, Dr. Katie Passaretti, chief epidemiologist at Atrium Health, told reporters Wednesday.
“There’s different things that impact whether a virus is spreading more successfully. Some of that is transmissibility, (which means) it’s just better at causing infection,” Passaretti said. “Part of it is whether the virus has learned how to evade prior protection from immunization or reinfection. Most of this variant seems to be due to that immune escape phenomena.”
Dr. David Priest, infectious disease specialist at Novant Health, said the variant appears to be “the most highly transmissible of the COVID subvariants.”
Mecklenburg County hasn’t yet come down from a “mini-surge” that began in April, Passaretti said.
The county recorded 3,010 positive tests from July 3-9. Hospitalizations have returned to levels not seen since early March. The seven-day average for statewide hospitalizations is now 970.
Priest said the plateau of infections has led to the increase in hospitalizations, Priest said.
“The rate of hospitalization is nowhere near what it was in early 2022, but we have seen a steady increase over the last several weeks,” Priest said. Novant has around 140 patients in its system with or recovering from COVID.
Most BA.5 infections have been mild so far, Passaretti said, and the uptick in hospitalizations and cases hasn’t been as severe as previous surges thanks to vaccinations.
Patients have not been more sick than with previous variants. The infection appears to target the nasal passages more than the lungs, Priest said.
Severity of infections
The severity of the infection has been mitigated by vaccines as well.
In vaccinated patients and patients without other serious health conditions, symptoms have been cold and flu-like, including fever and coughing.
As new sub-variants of the Omicron strain like BA.5 evolve, an Omicron-specific vaccine will be developed to improve protection against them, Passaretti said.
“The vaccines out there right now are all based on the initial strain of COVID, it’s still related and still provides protection. But what we anticipate for the fall is a vaccine that can contains Omicron-specific material,” Passaretti said.
Anyone eligible for a booster shot now should get it as soon as possible, Priest said.
Receiving booster shots now will not prevent anyone from getting the Omicron-specific vaccines when they are released in the fall and winter.
A second booster shot is available for anyone over 50, anyone over 12 with a compromised immune system and anyone who received two shots of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least four months ago, according to NCDHHS.
Since BA.5 arrived in North Carolina recently, Passaretti said she’s unsure about the number of deaths due to the sub-variant.
Methods that were effective at preventing previous infections like wearing masks, washing your hands, getting vaccinated and social distancing are all still recommended ways to reduce risk of infection, Passaretti said.
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 3:56 PM.
