Newest Omicron subvariants are infecting people who should have immunity, researchers say

BOSTON -- It's no surprise there has been a surge in COVID cases among people who should have immunity and now local researchers have discovered at least one reason why -- a rapidly mutating Omicron variant.

Researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston have found that the newest Omicron subvariants may be able to escape antibody responses, not only from people who have had COVID-19 before, but also from those who are fully vaccinated and boosted. 

The new subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are estimated to have caused about a third of new infections in the U.S. last week and that number is growing. This explains why so many people have contracted COVID over recent weeks despite having either had the infection before or being fully immunized.

That said, the vaccines still provide significant protection against severe disease, and vaccine makers are working on newly formulated shots that can provide stronger protection against these strains. Moderna says their updated vaccine elicits a "potent" immune response against BA.4 and BA.5 and hopes to obtain FDA authorization later this summer.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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