The Omicron coronavirus subvariant JN.1 now makes up about 44.2 per cent of COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The variant, which was previously classified under its parent strain, BA.2.86, prompted concern among some scientists earlier this year due to its high number of mutations.
As of Friday, CDC data estimates indicate that the quickly spreading variant is now causing almost half of infections in the US. The data shows that JN.1 makes up nearly 57 per cent of new COVID-19 cases in the Northeastern part of the country.
