As officials in California and beyond try to assess how severe a fall-and-winter coronavirus wave may be, one key factor is the growth of several new subvariants now emerging.
It’s too soon to say whether any of the newer variants will rise to prominence in the ways omicron and delta did. None have been documented in significant numbers in California or the nation. Still, experts say another super-spreading subvariant — combined with more people being indoors when the weather gets cold — could bring new challenges.
“As we get into this coming late fall and winter ... it is likely we will see another variant emerge,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical advisor for the pandemic, said at a recent virtual talk of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
