White House to governors: We’re ready to help with BA.5 coronavirus

The federal government is ready to help states respond to the growing wave of BA.5 coronavirus cases across the country, the head of the White House’s COVID-19 response wrote to governors Friday, offering to help supply testing sites and encourage continued adoption of the vaccine.

In a letter, Ashish Jha told the governors that the executive branch was “prepared to manage this moment” with the help of state governments. The note is part of a broader recent effort from the White House to show it’s taking the new strain of the virus seriously, even as administration officials stress they don’t think the country needs to return to the type of lockdowns seen at the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

“We have been monitoring BA.5 for months, and are prepared to manage this moment with the vaccines, tests, treatment, and other tools we now have to protect people and treat COVID-19,” said Jha, coordinator of the White House’s COVID-19 response and counselor to the president. “We must continue to work together to ensure that the American people continue to have easy and convenient access to and use these tools.”

BA.5, a subvariant of the omicron coronavirus variant, has in recent weeks become the dominant strain of the virus in America. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported it was responsible for about two-thirds of cases in the country last week, despite first emerging in the country as recently as April.

Its spread is blamed for a rise in hospital cases since the summer began. But health experts say that although the new virus more easily infects people who have previously been sick with the virus or been vaccinated, it is not deadlier than previous strains. And vaccines, they stress, continue to offer strong protection against the most serious effects of the virus, especially if people have received a recent booster shot.

In his letter, Jha outlined that the federal government can help states set up sites to both test and treat people with the coronavirus, encourage people to get vaccinated, and distribute a medicine, Paxlovid, that can help people recover from the virus even after infection.

“My team, and teams across the federal government, stand ready to engage with you and your leadership teams to discuss your particular circumstances in detail and to provide as much support as possible,” Jha wrote. “Our goal is to continue to partner with you and to support your efforts as we work together to protect the American people.”

This story was originally published July 15, 2022 at 3:17 PM with the headline "White House to governors: We’re ready to help with BA.5 coronavirus."