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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has predicted that Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 will account for maximum number of COVID-19 cases in the country. In the week ending December 31, XBB.1.5 is projected to make up 40.5 per cent of the nation's total COVID-19 cases, nearly twice more than the previous week, as per the new CDC data.
Another Omicron subvariant XBB.1.1 accounted for 26.9 per cent of the total cases in the country in the week ending December 31, as per the CDC.
"COVID19 variant XBB.1.5 may be more transmissible than other variants, but we don't know if it causes more severe disease. We're closely watching this variant to see how well our vaccines and treatments are working against it," the CDC tweeted on Friday.
The agency has advised people to follow necessary precautions to protect themselves from new COVID-19 variants. It recommends people to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, get tested for COVID-19 before going to large gatherings and to wear a mask in an area with high community transmission.
