New Variant Tops the COVID-19 List

Move over omnicron and arturus. There’s a new strain of COVID-19 in town—and across the globe.

According to U.S. News and World Report, the new subvariant, referred to as EG.5, was responsible for more than 17% of new COVID-19 cases in the United States over the last two weeks, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). EG.5 nudged out COVID-19 variant arturus, which caused 16% of cases over the same period of time, for the top spot.

EG.5 is increasing globally as well. The World Health Organization (WHO) called EG.5 a “variant under monitoring” last month, a step below its “variant of concern” label that arturus currently holds.

Last month, the CDC reported an expected rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalization during 2023’s late summer season and a call for heightened awareness as winter approaches. However, according to WHO, there has been no change in disease severity associated with the new strain.