KEY POINTS
• The BA.2 subvariant, which spreads 80% faster than the earlier omicron, has more than doubled in the U.S. over two weeks and will become the dominant variant.
• However, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said he doesn’t expect another surge right now, though cases might rise.
• Ali Mokdad, a leading epidemiologist, said he expects cases to decline over the spring and summer, with a surge possible this winter.
• “The pandemic phase of the virus is over in our opinion,” Mokdad said. “We are moving into an endemic phase.”
