Omicron subvariant XBB 1.5 prevalence jumps to 75 pct in US
11 Feb 2023 01:48pm
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XBB.1.5 is estimated to account for 74.7 per cent of US COVID-19 cases, up from 65.9 per cent the week prior. BQ.1.1 remains the second most prevalent strain at 15.3 per cent, reported Xinhua.
The CDC started tracking XBB.1.5 separately from its parent strain XBB from the week of Nov 12 last year, when it accounted for only 0.1 per cent of cases nationwide. Since then, XBB.1.5 has been spreading quickly in the United States.
XBB.1.5 is currently the most transmissible variant in the country. The subvariant may spur more COVID-19 cases based on genetic characteristics and early growth rate estimates, according to the World Health Organisation - BERNAMA
