The latest omicron subvariants are more transmissible and better able to evade immunity from vaccines and past infections, but there are still steps you can take to reduce your risk of infection
Health
15 July 2022
Passengers wear masks on the New York City subway Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
The BA.4 and BA.5 covid-19 strains now driving waves of infections in many countries are the most contagious yet – mostly due to mutations that allow them to dodge our immune defences. The good news, though, is that there is still plenty you can do to reduce your risk of infection.
Over the last two weeks, global cases of covid-19 have increased by 30 per cent, largely due to omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Since …
