Coronavirus Variant

Health experts are encouraging people to get the booster to help prevent another holiday surge, but many people have not answered the call.

Step aside, BA.5. The new variants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, appear to be among the most adept yet at evading immunity from previous infection and vaccination.

As the country faces a rise in infections driven by the BA.5 subvariant, about 70% of people 50 and older who got a first booster shot haven't received the recommended second one, according to the CDC.

University of Miami researchers have been tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants through genomic sequencing. The effort's leader says: “We are now mirroring the national trends."

Treatments are only available for patients at high risk for developing severe COVID-19. Select pharmacies and health facilities have supplies.

Another version of omicron is spreading in Asia and parts of Europe. And it shows signs that it could be slightly more contagious than omicron. Where did this new variant come from?

In a letter sent to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Dr. Joseph Ladapo wrote that federal agencies should not be controlling COVID options. He asked that Florida be able to pursue unlimited acquisition of any treatment.

In a study this month, researchers concluded that "the omicron wave in Florida is likely to cause many more infections than occurred during the delta wave" — about 40,000 new cases per day.

To block a variant this transmissible, scientists say you need an N95 or other high-filtration mask. Here's how to find a good one and when to wear it.

AdventHealth in Orlando has reactivated its COVID command center. Meantime, omicron has been detected in Tallahassee and the variant has become the dominant strain in Miami-Dade.