Respond to Omicron BA.5

The virus that causes COVID-19 continues to mutate and as it mutates new variants emerge. The most dominant variant in Hawai‘i is BA.5 which accounts for at least 68% of all COVID-19 cases in the state. BA.5’s dominance is expected to grow in coming weeks.

How It Differs From Previous Variants
BA.5 is more transmissible than its predecessors. It shows more resistance to the antibodies produced by vaccination and prior infections than previous variants. This means BA.5 has an easier time infecting people who have been vaccinated or have antibodies from a prior infection.

However, COVID-19 vaccines are still proving to be effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death.

“Of all the tools available to minimize COVID-19, vaccination is still our most important method of prevention,” said Dr. Edward Desmond, Administrator of the State Laboratories Division. “BA.5 is showing the early signs of dodging antibodies, and we know vaccine effectiveness wanes over time, so we’re monitoring for tweaks that will improve the next booster. The more we test, the more we learn how this virus behaves in Hawai‘i.”

Wearing masks and keeping distance from others are still the best ways to mitigate infection and transmission.

BA.5 was first detected in Hawai‘i and the U.S. in May 2022. The Hawai‘i Department of Health State Laboratories Division performs most of the genome sequencing in the state. The state laboratory works with other laboratories to detect new variants which might become Variants of Concern or Variants of High Consequence. Read more about variant classification.

What It Means

Patterns exhibited by Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 in Hawai‘i show that each subvariant tends to stick around for about six months before giving way to the next subvariant. As waves of variants reach the islands, vaccines and boosters serve as life vests to keep us afloat. Keep your head up and seek credible information.