According to the new state health department numbers last month, at least 50,000 people came down with COVID for a second time.
“We have had an incredible number of infections in our clinics and throughout the city,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, UCSF infectious disease specialist. “I think it's just that BA.5 evades antibodies and that's what protects us from getting infections in our nose and mouth so we are seeing so many more infections with BA.5,” she said.
Dr. Gandhi said people are unlikely to get infected twice within a few months with the same variant and the second infection is usually less severe. She also said President Joe Biden testing positive for COVID again on Saturday, is not considered a reinfection. “That is called a paxlovid rebound. A virus test came out positive in his nose. After taking paxlovid. It doesn't mean he got a new infection,” she said.
The Biden administration is pre-purchasing tens of millions of newly formulated"BA.5 specific" boosters expected to be ready for approval in September.Doctors also said it's possible people who already had COVID let their guard down, and quit wearing masks as often, thinking their antibodies will protect them.