Explainer-What is the BA.5 variant and why does it seem to be reinfecting so many people with COVID-19?

FILE PHOTO: People wait to take coronavirus disease (COVID-19) tests at a pop-up testing site in New York City, U.S., July 11, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

BA.5, part of the Omicron family, is the latest coronavirus variant to cause widespread waves of infection globally.

According to the World Health Organization's most recent report, it was behind 52% of cases sequenced in late June, up from 37% in one week. In the United States, it is estimated to be causing around 65% of infections. [W1N2YN01P]