Twenty states and the District of Columbia have reported cases of the newest omicron subvariant BA.2.75 as of Aug. 8, early disease surveillance data shows.
The subvariant has numerous mutations that may make it more adept than BA. 5, the nation's dominant strain, at spreading quickly and evading immune protection. While it's still unclear whether BA.2.75 will compete against BA.5 or cause more severe illness, some experts contend the subvariant is not the next big one to fret over.
The subvariant is increasing in frequency but still represents a very small number of infections, according to Helix, a lab that helps the CDC with viral surveillance.
"To date, the few cases in our dataset appear sporadic, and we have yet to see evidence of widespread, community spread," Helix said in an emailed statement.
Below is a breakdown of U.S. states reporting BA.2.75 cases, based on a dashboard run by Raj Rajnarayanan, PhD, assistant dean of research and associate professor in the department of basic sciences at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. The dashboard uses data from GISAID, a global data-sharing platform for viruses.
California — 16
New Jersey — 10
New York — 10
Washington — 10
Illinois — 4
Texas — 4
Virginia — 4
Georgia — 3
Nebraska — 3
North Carolina — 3
Arizona — 2
Indiana — 2
Iowa — 2
Minnesota — 2
Pennsylvania — 2
Wisconsin — 2
Delaware — 1
District of Columbia — 1
Maryland — 1
Michigan — 1
Ohio — 1
Editor's note: This article was updated Aug. 8 at 8:55 a.m. CT.