BA.4/5 COVID-19 variants now dominant in all US regions

Combined, the two subvariants make up more than 70% of recently sequenced samples, up sharply from 52.3% the previous week. Of the variants CDC is tracking, BA.5 now makes up 53.6%, and BA.4 makes up 16.5%. The proportion of BA.2.12.1—first detected in New York—continues to decline. South-central states were the first to see BA.4 and BA.5 become dominant. The two subvariants are more transmissible and have mutations linked to immune escape.