XBB.1.16 grows to 14% of US COVID-19 cases

Editor's Note

Estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention find the emerging COVID-19 Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16, dubbed Arcturus, is responsible for more than 14% of COVID-19 cases in the US over the past 2 weeks, up from nearly 7% in the prior 2 weeks, according to the May 12 US News & World Report.

This makes it the second most common variant in the US after XBB.1.5, which is declining. Arcturus appears to be more transmissible, but it does not cause more severe disease, the report says.

Though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stopped tracking and publishing some COVID-19 data, such as community infection levels and vaccination numbers, after the public health emergency ended, it will still report emergency department use, hospital admissions, and deaths by geographic area.