The National Public Health Agency notified Tuesday that 85.9% of the Omicron BA.2 subclone in the US was attributable to the coronavirus variant. The rise of COVID-19 in Asia and Europe has raised concerns that another wave could hit the country, but health experts believe it is unlikely.
The Northeast, including New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts, is the hardest hit, according to official figures, with Omicron BA.2 now accounting for more than 90% of cases.
Philadelphia, a city in the northeastern state of Pennsylvania, will reimpose its indoor mask mandate from April 18, as a response to a new wave of cases. According to a Reuters tally, COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania increased by nearly 70% in the week to Sunday, making it one of the top 10 states with the fastest spread of infections.
The seven-day moving average of US COVID-19 cases stood at 28,339 as of April 9, up nearly 10% from a week earlier.
According to estimates from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, BA.2 made up 75.4% of variants in the country for the week ended April 2. This is compared to the previous estimate of 72.2%.