The new Omicron strain accounts for about 20 percent of cases in the United States, according to the CDC

A new sub-variant of Omicron is being distributed in the United States, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.

Targeting the news: Sub-option, BA.2.12.1, accounts for about 20% of new cases in the US and is an offshoot of Omicron’s version BA.2, which has been the dominant version since late March, NBC News reported.

• The Omicron BA.2 subvariant is still the dominant strain, accounting for about 75% of all cases, according to the CDC.

Background: The New York State Department of Health said last week that BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1 – both sub-lines of the BA.2 Omicron variant – are likely to cause a jump in cases in upstate New York.

• “We are alerting the public to two sub-variants of Omicron, emerging and rapidly spreading in upstate New York, so that New Yorkers can act quickly,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett in a statement.
• Covid is growing in the United States, with the Northeast causing many of the new cases, said Tina Reed and Kavia Beheraj of Axios.
• There were on average more than 31,500 cases across the country, up 14% from nearly 28,000 cases reported two weeks ago.

Go deeper … COVID cases in the US are rising again