Omicron Variant

SARS-CoV-2 is evolving "rapidly," spawning one new variant after another. But omicron continues to dominate, raising new questions about how evolution of the virus is headed.

Updated COVID boosters are now available for anyone age 12 or older. The CDC is urging anyone who is eligible to sign up but some vaccine experts say some people might want to wait.

Two new COVID-19 subvariants — BA.4 and BA.5 — have become the dominant strains in parts of the Midwest, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates released last week.

They say this variant, which has been prevalent in Europe, could make its way to Ohio soon. They caution Ohioans to prepare instead of worrying.

Cleveland Clinic detected the highly contagious subvariant in its labs a few weeks ago that is causing a surge of cases in Europe. But health officials say it does not seem to be driving any local surges in new cases yet.

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center announced Wednesday it will close its drive-through COVID-19 testing site at CAS at the end of the day Thursday.

The omicron BA.2 variant spreads about 30% more easily and has caused surges in other countries. Its steady increase in the U.S. raises questions about the wisdom of rolling back COVID restrictions.

U.S. employers added 467,000 jobs last month despite a surge of coronavirus infections. The unemployment rose to 4% from 3.9% in December.

It's a sibling of the first omicron variant that swept the world. Is it more contagious? Does it cause severe disease? Will it keep current omicron surges going? Researchers are looking for answers.

The Ohio Department of Health has changed the way K-12 schools should notify parents about COVID cases in their buildings. ODH said it is not worthwhile for schools to alert parents of individual cases of COVID in classrooms or buildings anymore.