The BA.2 variant of the omicron is estimated to account for more than half, or 54.9 percent, of the coronavirus variants circulating in the United States as of Saturday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.
The emergence of Covid-19 cases in parts of Asia and Europe has raised fears that another wave may emerge in the United States.
Despite the rise of the highly contagious BA.2 subvariable, US health experts believe a new wave of infections appears unlikely because overall infections are falling from record levels in January.
As of Saturday, the seven-day moving average for US Covid-19 cases was 27,895, up about 4 percent from the previous week.
Last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US infectious disease official, said that while he did not expect a significant increase, he would not be surprised to see an increase in cases due to the increasing dominance of BA.2.
Most people in the United States are now considered to have low transmission of Covid, according to new CDC guidelines introduced last month that emphasized the hospital’s capacity to handle the number of cases.
The CDC estimates that BA.2 made up 39 percent, adjusted for 34.9 percent, of the country’s circulating variables for the week ending March 19, according to the CDC’s model estimating proportions of circulating variables.
The CDC has in the past revised its estimates as it gets more data.
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