Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 accounts for over 90% new Covid cases in US

Los Angeles, March 21

The highly transmissible Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 now accounts for over 90 per cent of new Covid-19 cases reported in the US, according to the latest estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

XBB.1.5 was estimated to account for 90.2 per cent of all Covid-19 cases in the country in the latest week ending March 18, Xinhua news agency reported.

It was up from 88.8 per cent a week before and 86.3 per cent two weeks prior, CDC data showed. The prevalence of XBB.1.5 has kept increasing since late 2022.

The second most prevalent strain BQ.1.1 only accounted for 3.5 per cent in the latest week.

The CDC first started tracking XBB.1.5 in November 2022, when it accounted for less than 1 per cent of cases nationwide. Since then, the strain is spreading quickly in the US.

While XBB.1.5 is spreading easier, scientists said it does not seem to cause more severe disease.