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Omicron accounts for 59% of new cases in US

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Members of the public queue to take a COVID-19 tests in Sydney, today. Australia's Victoria and Queensland states reported record levels of new daily coronavirus infections today as pressure on testing centers prompted calls for wider use of rapid antigen tests. (Brendon Thorne/AAP Image via AP)

NEW YORK - U.S. government figures show that the omicron variant continues to account for a growing proportion of new coronavirus infections in the country.

Omicron accounted for 59 percent of new cases in the U.S. for the week ending Dec. 25, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 23 percent the previous week.

The CDC had said last week that omicron already accounted for a majority of new cases in the country. But the agency said today it significantly lowered that previous estimate based on additional data it collected.

Still, it noted that omicron is accounting for a growing proportion of cases.

The rapid spread comes after the first confirmed case of omicron in the U.S. was identified earlier this month. Studies have provided early hints that it is milder than the delta variant.

Starting at /week.