The omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 is quickly gaining prevalence in the U.S., spurring the CDC to start tracking the strain separately in mid-April.
The subvariant accounted for 11.7 percent of U.S. COVID-19 cases in the week ending April 29, up from 4.6 percent two weeks prior, CDC estimates show. Experts said they expect the omicron relative and other XBB subvariants to become dominant in the U.S. in the coming weeks.
The South has the highest proportion of cases from XBB.1.16 — sitting at more than 15 percent — while states in the West have the lowest at about 6.5 percent.
Below is a breakdown of the subvariant's prevalence in each HHS surveillance region as of April 29:
|
HHS surveillance region |
Prevalence of XBB.1.16 |
|
Region 1 Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont |
7 percent of all COVID-19 cases |
|
Region 2 New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands |
12.5 |
|
Region 3 Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia |
14.8 |
|
Region 4 Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee |
11 |
|
Region 5 Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin |
12.7 |
|
Region 6 Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas |
15.6 |
|
Region 7 Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska |
7.8 |
|
Region 8 Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming |
6.5 |
|
Region 9 Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands and Republic of Palau |
10.3 |
|
Region 10 Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington |
13.9 |