SCAREMONGERING: Scientists warn new Covid variant could become widespread within weeks

A pair of omicron subvariants that are descendants of BA.5 are making inroads in the U.S. variant scene, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 were responsible for more than 11% of COVID-19 infections this week, according to CDC’s weekly variant proportions update posted on Friday. The pair was responsible for less than 1% of infections a month ago.

The pair was previously aggregated with BA.5 in the CDC update but have now been separated, decreasing BA.5’s prevalence to about 68% of coronavirus cases this week.

The quick rise of BQ.1.1, which has mutations that likely make it particularly good at evading prior immunity, “sets it up to be the principal driver of next US wave in the weeks ahead,” according to Eric Topol, founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.

U.S. health officials have been pushing updated booster shots that target omicron and its subvaraints ahead of an expected coronavirus surge in the fall and winter. Coronavirus cases in Europe are on the rise, which typically predicts an increase in the U.S. in a matter of weeks.