As new omicron-specific COVID vaccines enter the market, another sublineage of that virus is starting to gain a foothold in the United States.
According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the BA.4.6 subvariant continued to gain steam this week, now making up an estimated 8.4% of COVID cases.
That is up slightly from a week ago, when the subvariant was responsible for an estimated 7.6% of cases in the U.S.
For the first time since it became the dominant strain of COVID in the United States on July 2, the BA.5 subvariant did not increase its share of the number of cases in the U.S. According to CDC estimates, the sublineage still makes up an estimated 88.6% of cases.
According to CDC metrics, omicron subvariants are the only strains still making up a measurable share of the total number of COVID cases in the U.S.
The news comes as an updated version of the COVID vaccine makes its way into U.S. pharmacies and medical clinics. The new vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna were both specifically-formulated to target both the original strain of COVID and omicron strains of the virus, and the bivalent boosters will be recommended for those in need of new shots in coming weeks and months.
According to officials with the White House, COVID vaccines could potentially become an annual ritual for millions of Americans, with one booster shot needed per season as new variants of the virus emerge.
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