Explainer: Do I need to worry about COVID again?
New data from scientists and vaccine makers Moderna (MRNA.O) and Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech (22UAy.DE) suggests that a newer, highly mutated variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is not as alarming as some experts had feared when it was first detected several weeks ago. Nicknamed “Pirola” on social media, the BA.2.86 Omicron subvariant is being tracked by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). What is new about COVID? COVID infections and hospitalizations have been rising in the U.S., Europe and Asia, but are well below previous peaks. The weekly U.S. hospitalization