LOS ANGELES — According to statistics published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is anticipated to account for 40.5 percent of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the United States in the week ending Dec. 31, nearly doubling from the previous week (CDC).
In the prior week ending December 24, XBB.1.5 accounted for 21.7 percent of all cases.
According to CDC data, recombinants of the BA.2 variety, XBB, and XBB.1.5 accounted for 44.1 percent of all cases in the country in the week ending Dec. 31.
The XBB strain has been causing an increase in cases in parts of Asia, raising worries about its high infectiousness.
According to CDC data, another two Omicron subvariants, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, accounted for around 45 percent of new Covid-19 cases in the United States in the most recent week.
Source: AP
