Omicron subvariant makes up nearly three quarters of new Covid cases in US

The BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant has accounted for nearly three quarters of new Covid-19 infections in the US, according to the data updated Tuesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The BA.2 variant represented 74.4 per cent of the new Covid-19 cases in the country for the week ending April 16, slightly down from 75.5 per cent a week prior, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the CDC data.

The variant has been steadily rising in proportion due to its increased transmissibility compared to the original Omicron strain. It has become the dominant strain in the US.