Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 accounts for nearly half U.S. new COVID-19 infections

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Omicron new subvariant XBB.1.5 is estimated to account for 43 percent of the COVID-19 cases in the United States for the week ending Jan. 14, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The subvariant XBB.1.5 is spreading quickly in the United States. It made up 30.4 percent of the total cases in the week ending Jan. 7, rising from 20.1 percent from a week before and 11.8 percent from two weeks prior, according to the CDC.

XBB.1.5 is currently the most transmissible variant in the country. The World Health Organization said earlier this week XBB.1.5 may spur more COVID-19 cases based on genetic characteristics and early growth rate estimates.

Another two dominant Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 accounted for about 45 percent of new COVID-19 cases in the United States in the latest week, CDC data showed.