Yolo County says BA.2 subvariant is driving an uptick in COVID-19 cases

A more contagious BA.2 subvariant of omicron appears to be driving an uptick in coronavirus cases in Davis and Yolo County over the past week, according to health officials.

The county said Tuesday that the BA.2.12.1 subvariant is estimated to be 30% more contagious than BA.2, which was first detected in late March on the UC Davis campus.

The subvariant now accounts for nearly half of campus cases and higher levels of the virus in wastewater often indicate wider community spread before clinical testing does, the county said.

Despite the apparent uptick in cases, the test positivity rate in the county is still low, 1.5% for the 7-day average, according to state data.

Still, health officials in the county said they recommended that people wear masks indoors, get tested if appropriate and get vaccinated and boosted.

And the warning comes after tens of thousands of people over the weekend gathered for the first in-person celebration of Picnic Day since the pandemic.

“Yolo residents are encouraged to take additional precautions to guard against infection,” Yolo County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said in a statement. “I strongly recommend masking indoors with a high-quality mask and getting tested if you have symptoms, have a known exposure, or recently participated in a large gathering like Picnic Day. If you are eligible for a booster, now is a good time to get that booster — do not wait.”

Across California, the 7-day test positivity rate has ticked up to 2.7%, up from 1.2% on March 22.

Sacramento County’s rate is 3.2%, according to the state’s dashboard. But according to a dashboard maintained by the county that rate is higher, about 7.5%.

The county said that it only counts PCR tests. KCRA 3 is awaiting comment from the state about the disparity.

Hospitalizations are still low in the counties and state.

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Source: KCRA News

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