The highly transmissible omicron subvariant BA.5 continues to gain dominance in the U.S. and now accounts for nearly 90 percent of all cases nationwide, according to the CDC's latest variant proportion estimates.
The subvariant's prevalence has climbed steadily since early May, when it accounted for less than 2 percent of all cases. The CDC's most recent data, which covers the week ending Aug. 13, shows BA.5 accounts for 88.8 percent of all cases, up from 87.1 percent in the week ending Aug. 6 and 84.5 percent in the week ending July 30.
While the subvariant's prevalence is still climbing, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are declining. The U.S. reported 100,747 daily average cases Aug. 16, marking an 18 percent decrease in the last 14 days, according to data tracked by The New York Times. Daily COVID-19 hospitalizations fell by 5 percent over the same time period.