COVID-19 variant BA.5 causing more reinfections, according to CDC

(CNN) - As the latest wave of COVID-19 causes a surge of infections across the United States, more people are catching it for the second or even third time.

The rapidly spreading BA.5 subvariant is now causing about 80% of new COVID-19 infections in the U.S., according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The number of reinfections has almost doubled compared to previous waves.

Researchers blame a mix of factors for the jump, including waning immunity and mutations that have caused this variant to sneak past the body’s defenses.

Thankfully, reinfections do not seem to be happening back to back.

Researchers say that on average, people getting reinfected now last had COVID-19 about nine months ago.