CDC Data: Omicron Subvariant XBB.1.5 Responsible for 90% of New COVID-19 Cases

© (Wang Ying/Xinhua via Getty Images) People walk past a signboard of wearing face masks at the Oculus of the World Trade Center in New York, the United States, March 29, 2022. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 80 million on Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. (Photo by Wang Ying/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 remains dominant over all other coronavirus strains in the U.S. but appears to be plateauing.

The subvariant was responsible for approximately 90% of new infections this week, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s roughly the same as last week and up about 2 percentage points from two weeks ago.

XBB.1.5’s growth in March is significantly less than it was in February, when it jumped from 62% of cases to 82%.

The highly transmissible strain is also the most prominent globally and the only one showing a significant growth.

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. continue to decline. Still, nearly 30% of U.S. counties are experiencing a “high” level of COVID-19 transmission, according to CDC data.

With most COVID-19 factors trending in a positive direction, the Biden administration reportedly plans to disband the White House COVID-19 response team in May. The move comes as the Biden administration shifts priorities elsewhere and plans to end a pair of COVID-19 emergency declarations on May 11. Taken together, these moves are the biggest signs yet that the Biden administration is ready to put the pandemic in the rearview window.

But early recipients of the updated COVID-19 booster shot have been pushing the Biden administration to authorize another shot before potentially switching to an annual vaccination strategy starting in the fall.

That group caught a glimmer of hope this week when it was reported that the Food and Drug Administration is considering authorizing a second omicron-specific booster shot for people aged 65 and older or who have weakened immune systems.

An FDA spokesperson said in a statement to U.S. News that “we hope that simplifying the COVID-19 vaccine regimen in the not too distant future will lead to the vaccination of more individuals in the coming years as we learn to live alongside SARS-CoV-2 – potentially reducing serious outcomes, including hospitalization and death,” referring to the virus that causes COVID-19 by its scientific name.

“We continue to closely monitor the emerging data in the United States and globally, and we will base any decision on additional updated boosters upon those data,” the agency spokesperson said. “Importantly, individuals who have not yet received an updated (bivalent) booster are encouraged to speak with their health care provider and consider receiving one.”

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