String of COVID cases hits DC as nationwide rise looms
by Peter Sullivan - 04/10/22 5:40 AM ET
A burst of high-profile COVID-19 cases in Washington, D.C., is highlighting the lingering threat of the virus.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Cabinet members including Attorney General Merrick Garland, and a string of lawmakers, have all tested positive in recent days.
The cases are reminders that the virus is still circulating even as much of America moves forward from the pandemic.
In fact, experts are bracing for cases to increase in the coming weeks, given an even more highly transmissible subvariant of omicron, known as BA.2, that is circulating widely.
“I do think we’re going to see an uptick nationally,” said Crystal Watson, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “The question is really how high it will get.”
Washington, as well as New York and other parts of the northeast, are already seeing upticks in cases.
The high-profile DC cases, “may be a reflection” of a new spike, Watson said, though she noted it is “hard to tell” exactly how wide a conclusion to draw from them.
“I do think we’re generally seeing an uptick in cases in D.C.,” she said.
Still, there are important ways in which any coming increase in cases will likely not be as bad as previous surges.
People who are vaccinated, especially those who are boosted, have strong protection against severe disease, meaning that while they may still get infected, the symptoms are likely to be mild.
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https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3262959-string-of-covid-cases-hits-dc-as-nationwide-rise-looms/
