The BA.5 variant is the most dominant strain of COVID-19 in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's highly transmissible and it's driving up COVID cases and hospitalizations.

This week NPR learned that the Biden administration may scrap plans to let more younger adults get second COVID-19 boosters this summer. Instead, officials are trying to speed up availability of the next generation of boosters in the fall — boosters that specifically target the new subvariant.

We talk to Dr. Robert Wachter, the chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, about the administration's booster strategy and how people can protect themselves in the midst of the latest surge.

This episode also features reporting from NPR's Rob Stein.

A heads up to listeners: we recorded this episode Thursday afternoon, before the Biden administration announced that it will hold off on offering boosters for people under 50 this summer.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

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