The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday that mask requirements for public transit and airplanes will remain in effect through at least May 3.
The nationwide mandate had been set to end April 18, but federal public health officials said they would extend the expiration date by roughly two weeks to allow more time for the study of the omicron subvariant BA.2.“CDC will continue to monitor COVID-19 levels, in our communities, nationally, and abroad to provide the most up-to-date guidance to keep travelers safe and healthy,” the CDC said in a statement.
The BA.2 variant of omicron now makes up more than 85% of COVID cases in the U.S., growing roughly 80 percent faster than the original omicron variant that drove the winter surge. In a statement on the subvariant released in February, officials with the World Health Organization said that while BA.2 may be more transmissible than the main omicron variant, the gap between the two is not as wide as the difference in virulence between omicron and the delta variant.“Further, although BA.2 sequences are increasing in proportion relative to other Omicron sublineages, there is still a reported decline in overall cases globally,” the WHO said.
Research is ongoing regarding how potent the subvariant is or the risk of reinfection it may present. The subvariant has been detected in multiple Bay Area counties, including Santa Clara and Contra Costa.© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Life in Russia under sanctions may parallel what one reporter found in IranRussia and Iran appear to be on each other's coattails when it comes to being 'most sanctioned' while both continue to sweep the real consequences of sanctions under the rug.
Read more »
NASA's Psyche Mission Will Study an Asteroid to Learn How Planets May Have FormedIn a space-exploration-first, NASA's Psyche mission will explore an asteroid made mostly out of metal rather than rocks. Scientists believe the Psyche asteroid may be the exposed core of an early planet -- and it could tell us more about Earth.
Read more »
Ayala: Starr County’s abortion arrest may be a preview of what’s to comeThe Supreme Court seems poised to overturn Roe, or at least to allow states to in effect...
Read more »
Experts Warn Poor COVID Messaging May Give Public Wrong Sense of Current RisksA number of high-profile Covid-19 cases were reported on Capitol Hill several weeks after mitigation efforts were largely dropped in cities across the country.
Read more »
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow to Cut Back on Nightly Hosting, Will Go Weekly Beginning in MayMaddow said at the top of her program that beginning next month, she will only be hosting her 9 p.m. show on Monday nights.
Read more »
Rachel Maddow Says She’ll Go To Once-A-Week Schedule In MayRachel Maddow announced that she will go to a weekly schedule, hosting MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show solely on Monday nights starting in May. Rotating hosts will fill in the rest of the week…
Read more »