Covid-19 NZ: Understanding the Omicron variant BA.5 and why it's fuelling a second wave

The second Omicron wave appears to have started. Case numbers – along with hospitalisations – are trending upwards. Underlying this is the rise of a new Covid subvariant called BA.5 which experts have suggested is starting to snowball. This is a snapshot of what’s going on and what you need to know. Um, what is BA.5? Alpha, Beta, Delta, Omicron - all are distinct Covid-19 variants. Just like BA.1 (which was dominant here) and BA.2 (which is now dominant), BA.5 is another member of the growing Omicron family.