BQ.1.1 was estimated to make up about 38.4 percent of circulating variants in the week ending Dec. 17, while BQ.1 was estimated to make up 30.7 percent, according to CDC data.
Date of publication – 12:45, Wednesday – 21 December 22
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Washington: The new Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 have accounted for about 70 percent of new Covid-19 cases in the US, with the country’s overall cases surpassing 100 million, according to the latest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC).
BQ.1.1 was estimated to make up about 38.4 percent of circulating variants in the week ending Dec. 17, while BQ.1 was estimated to make up 30.7 percent, according to CDC data.
Both variants are descendants of Omicron’s BA.5 subvariant and have been growing particularly fast since October, Xinhua news agency reported, citing data.
As of early October, each of the two new variants accounted for about 1 percent of new infections.
BA.5 was replaced as the dominant strain in mid-November.
BA.5 accounted for only 10 percent of new infections in the past week.
Another XBB subvariant in Omicron is also on the rise, accounting for 7.2 percent of new infections.
Researchers have found that the BQ and XBB subvariants are “barely able to be neutralized” by vaccines, including the new Omicron booster, according to a study recently published in the journal Cell.
This can lead to an increase in infections and reinfections, even though vaccines have been shown to prevent serious diseases according to research.
In the latest update on Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
As of Wednesday, Johns Hopkins University said the overall number of cases in that country now stands at 100,003,814, while the death toll has risen to 1,088,236.
With the highest number of cases and deaths, the US remains the worst affected country in the world.
It accounts for more than 15% of global cases and more than 16% of all deaths.
The country’s Covid count reached 50 million on December 13, 2021, surpassed 60 million on January 9, 2022, surpassed 70 million on January 21, surpassed 80 million on March 29, and surpassed 90 million on July 21.