New Yorkers line up for COVID-19 tests as the Omicron variant spreads across the United States
The agency also revised down the Omicron proportion of cases for the week ending Dec. 18 to 22% from 73%, citing additional data and the rapid spread of the variant that in part caused the discrepancy.
"We had more data come in from that timeframe and there was a reduced proportion of Omicron," a CDC spokesperson said. "It’s important to note that we’re still seeing a steady increase in the proportion of Omicron."The fast-spreading variant was first detected in southern Africa and Hong Kong in November, with the first known case in the United States identified on Dec. 1 in a fully vaccinated person who had traveled to South Africa.
Since then, the strain has rapidly spread across the world and driven a surge in U.S. infections, causing widespread flight cancellations and dashing hopes for a more normal holiday season. The Delta variant, which had been the dominant strain in the past few months, accounts for 41.1% of all U.S. COVID-19 cases as of Dec. 25, the public health agency's
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