New COVID Subvariant Rapidly Rising In Pennsylvania, New CDC Data Says

A new variant of the Omicron strain of COVID is on the rise on the East Coast, primarily in the Northeast, according to the latest data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The XBB variant only made up 6 percent of total cases across Pennsylvania, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia at the start of the month. But as of Saturday, the variant now makes up more than 19.6 percent of total cases in the region — meaning the percentage has tripled in just a few weeks.

XBB is even more prominent farther north, making up more than 52 percent of total cases across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine and more than 50 percent of total cases across New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. However, in Pennsylvania, the BQ variant still accounts for the majority of COVID infections, with BQ.1.1 and B1.1 making up 64 percent of all cases in the state.

Nationwide, XBB accounts for 18 percent of all infections, with the most recent data revealing BQ.1.1 accounts for 35.7 percent of total COVID infections across the United States.

The XBB, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants are currently the most antibody-resistant variants of COVID-19, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell this month by scientists affiliated with Columbia University and the University of Michigan. This means that even those with the most recent booster vaccine meant to protect against the Omicron variant as a whole are still experiencing breakthrough infections.

According to the CDC, the Omicron variant spreads more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Delta variant. However, symptoms are generally milder, and unlike the Delta variation, the Omicron strain often affects the upper-respiratory tract rather than the lungs, Dr. Karine Markosyan, a physician at the St. Gregory the Illuminator Medical Center, told Unicef in March.

Yale Medicine emphasizes that some people infected with Omicron still develop severe disease and have to go to the hospital, and some die. Still, the CDC says that being up to date on COVID-19 vaccination provides strong protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death in all age groups.