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KPBS Midday Edition

Expert: BA.5 is 'worst' version of virus since start of pandemic

A COVID-19 testing site at San Diego State University. Jan. 15, 2021.
Alexander Nguyen
/
KPBS
A COVID-19 testing site at San Diego State University. Jan. 15, 2021.

Case numbers and hospitalizations are on the rise in San Diego as the United States makes its way through yet another summer surge of the virus.

The rise in cases, fueled by the now-dominant BA.5, continues to prompt concerns over the subvariant's rapid transmissibility and high potential to cause reinfection.

BA.5 is also raising questions about the general effectiveness of available vaccines as the virus continues to mutate further.

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Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, joined KPBS Midday Edition to talk about how the BA.5 subvariant is complicating efforts to keep the virus under control.