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The proportion of people getting infected with the new BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 variants of COVID-19 is rising, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants—descendants of the BA.5 omicron variant—were recently added to the CDC’s COVID-19 variant list. Between Oct. 7 and 15, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 variants combined made up 11.4 percent of the total infections in the United States, CDC data shows. Both variants separately accounted for 5.7 percent of cases.
The proportion of BA.5, the variant which is responsible for the largest number of infections in the country, made up 67.9 percent of total cases, down from 74.8 percent in the week ending Oct. 8.
In places like New Jersey and New York, the proportion of BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 variants is higher, making up close to 20 percent of total cases.
