EU.1.1, the new SARS-CoV-2 subvariant the CDC started tracking in June, ticked up slightly over the past two weeks, federal data shows.
The subvariant is a descendent of XBB.1.5, the nation's dominant strain, which accounted for 27 percent of COVID-19 cases as of June 24. EU.1.1 accounted for 1.7 percent of cases, up from 1.4 percent two weeks prior.
The subvariant contains several mutations in the spike protein that make it more transmissible than XBB.1.5, but experts said it doesn't have an advantage over other circulating variants right now.
Three more COVID-19 updates:
1. About 22 percent of U.S. adults and teenagers still hadn't gotten COVID-19 by the end of 2022, CDC data shows. The agency tracked antibody levels from blood donation samples collected last year. The data suggests 77.5 percent of people 16 and older had COVID-19 antibodies by the end of 2022.
2. Wastewater testing from the Boston area shows virus levels are at the lowest levels seen in nearly two years, according to The Boston Globe. Experts say the fall in virus activity correlates to summertime, when fewer people are congregating indoors.
3. In an effort to prevent a repeat of last winter's "tripledemic" of respiratory illnesses, public health officials are encouraging Americans to get not only a flu shot but also a COVID-19 vaccine and, for older adults, a new vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus.