What to know about the newest Omicron subvariants

New season, new subvariant.

Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 have quickly elbowed out BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 as the dominant strains, my colleague Martin Finucane reported. Experts say they expect more people to catch cases of COVID in the coming weeks and that the newer mutations are better at evading immunity from previous infections and vaccination, though it’s still unclear whether BA.4 and BA.5 are more severe compared to the original Omicron strain. 

Public health officials stood by long-standing precautions, including testing if you experience symptoms. 

The central message, according to Matthew Fox, a Boston University epidemiology professor, is “don’t panic, just prepare.”