PHILADELPHIA — The BA.5 "subvariant" of the coronavirus has rapidly become dominant in the United States, and rising COVID-19 case numbers are dashing hopes for a summer break from the pandemic.
The Biden administration responded Tuesday by once again urging people to get booster shots. But those vaccines are unchanged since their rollout more than a year and half ago. Last month, an FDA advisory committee reviewed data for updated vaccines, but even those newer versions are based on the original omicron variant — not the BA.5 version now on the rise.
As the pandemic drags on, it's fair to wonder if we're ever going to catch up.
