Biden administration announces new strategy to tackle Covid subvariant

In a fact sheet published on Tuesday the White House said BA.5, a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant, is already responsible for the majority of new Covid-19 cases in the US.

The White House said it would increase efforts to get more people vaccinated, particularly in areas where BA.5 is spreading most rapidly, and it encouraged Americans to test themselves regularly.

The announcement came as the Washington Post reported that Biden administration officials are working on a plan to make second booster vaccine shots available to adults under age 50 in a bid to tackle BA.5 and BA.4, another highly contagious Omicron subvariant.

For now, adults over 50 and people over 12 who are immunocompromised are eligible for a second booster four months after receiving their first.