New COVID Variants Increase in Proportion of Cases

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a cell (purple) infected with a variant strain of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (pink), isolated from a patient sample. NIAID via The Epoch Times

The proportion of people getting infected with the new BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 variants of COVID-19 is rising, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants—descendants of the BA.5 omicron variant—were recently added to the CDC’s COVID-19 variant list. Between Oct. 7 and 15, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 variants combined made up 11.4 percent of the total infections in the United States, CDC data shows. Both variants separately accounted for 5.7 percent of cases.