New York Times HV.1 has overtaken EG.5 as the leading variant in the U.S.
Two closely related variants, EG.5 and HV.1, now comprise roughly half of the Covid-19 cases in the United States.
EG.5 became the dominant variant nationwide in August. At that time, the World Health Organization classified it as a “variant of interest,” meaning it has genetic changes that give it an advantage and its prevalence was growing. Since then, the variant appears to have plateaued, holding steady at about 20 to 25 percent of cases in September and October.
HV.1 emerged in the United States at the end of the summer and has progressively made up a larger proportion of the circulating virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it overtook EG.5 as the dominant variant last week, and now accounts for one in four Covid cases.
Experts have also been watching two other variants, BA.2.86 and JN.1, that make up only a tiny fraction of cases but scientists say carry an alarming number of mutations.
How worried should people be about these variants?
EG.5 & HV.1
While severe illness in older adults and people with underlying conditions is always a concern, as is long Covid in anyone who gets infected, experts say EG.5 and HV.1 do not pose a substantial threat — or at least no more of one than any of the other major variants that have circulated this year. The EG.5 variant was identified in China in February 2023 and was first detected in the United States in April. It is a descendant of the Omicron variant XBB.1.9.2 and has one notable mutation that helps it to evade antibodies developed by the immune system in response to earlier variants and vaccines.