Covid-19 isn’t going away. Remember back in 2020 when we all attempted to minimize the spread with lockdowns, grocery delivery and Zoom meetings? It didn’t exactly work as planned. Covid is still here, and new variants keep spreading across the country.

The latest variant in the U.S. is a subvariant of omicron known as BA.5. This new variant is currently the dominant variant in the United States. Although it’s impossible to know exact statistics due to the number of rapid tests taken at home that go unreported, hospitalization numbers make it appear that the virus is reinfecting people who have previously had Covid.

Usually when someone gets Covid they have some degree of immunity for a period of time; however, a previous Covid infection and even being vaccinated for Covid-19 may not prevent someone from catching BA.5.

The good news is that BA.5 does not appear to be more dangerous than previous variants; however, hospitalizations for Covid-19 are up. Currently, 31,000 people are hospitalized for Covid-19.

Watch the video below to learn what you need to know about BA.5.

While BA.5 appears to be very contagious, experts do not believe that it will cause a Covid surge as intense as what we saw over the winter. According to Dr. Anna Durbin, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the reason there probably won’t be as many infections over the summer as there were over the winter is due to a combination of previous infections, vaccinations, and improved treatments for people who do get Covid-19. She explained, “Most people have some underlying immunity that is helpful in fighting the virus.”

In order to protect yourself from catching Covid-19, experts recommend wearing a face mask indoors, getting vaccinated or boosted if you haven’t already, and taking precautions during summer travel and gatherings.

Have you had Covid-19? Do you know anyone who has contracted BA.5?