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A Whatcom County health official downplayed recent reports of yet another COVID-19 subvariant but advised county residents not to let their guard down.

New medical research says the latest versions of the omicron variant, called BA.4 and BA.5, should become the dominant COVID-19 strains in the U.S. and Europe this summer, according to . The two subvariants are on the rise because they can evade the immunities people develop through either vaccination or prior exposure to the virus.

Omicron hit Whatcom County hard but has since subsided. More than half of  were recorded after omicron started peaking in late December 2021. And while people who fell ill with COVID-19 this winter or spring might feel confident they won't get sick again,  indicate that people who have already been infected with omicron remain at risk from the latest subvariants.

Dr. Greg Thompson, co-health officer for the Whatcom County Health Department, said recent COVID-19 trends suggest the public shouldn’t worry too much about BA.4 and BA.5.

“We are always concerned about new variants, but the data we have so far suggests we don’t need to be overly alarmed about BA.4/5 at this time,” Thompson said in an email.