COVID-19 cases are increasing nationwide but remain lower than last year’s numbers, according to the most recent federal data, with a variant that emerged earlier this year making up the vast majority of U.S. cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) variant tracking tool shows that for the period of time between Aug. 3 and Aug. 30, XFG made up around 78 percent of cases. The variant, which was declared a strain “under monitoring” by the World Health Organization in late June, emerged earlier this year.
A variant that was driving up cases in China, NB.1.8.1, made up another 14 percent of cases, the CDC figures show. It was also dubbed a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization in May amid a resurgence in China at the time….