KUAR | By David Monteith
BA.5, a subvariant of the virus that causes COVID-19, is contributing to rising cases counts and hospitalizations in Arkansas.
That's according to Department of Health Director Dr. Jennifer Dillaha who says the subvariant was identified in two-thirds of the cases tested last week using genomic sequencing. BA.5 was first identified and labeled as a Variant of Concern by the World Health Organization in January.
Forecasting by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates the number of people hospitalized in the state is expected to continue rising for at least the next three weeks. Dillaha says there are several reasons this subvariant is being transmitted more rapidly.
KUAR News
File photo of Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, director of the Arkansas Department of Health.