Why the Now-Dominant BQ COVID Strains Are Cause for Concern

(MedPageToday) The latest circulating COVID-19 variants have shown greater immune escape, which will likely lead to increasing cases over the coming months, experts said. New Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 together now make up more than half of all COVID cases in the U.S. (30.9% and 31.9%, respectively), according to the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker, representing a rapid rise from early November when they represented about a quarter of all cases.