COVID variant XFG spreading, data shows
By: Mary Walrath-Holdridge
USA Today
..... New COVID-19 cases continue to crop up nationwide as new variant XFG makes gains both domestically and abroad.
.....
During the week ending on august 9, [2025] 8.9% of the 28,051 Americans tested were positive for COVID-19, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This was a 0.6% increase from the week prior.
..... During the same period, 0.4% of cases resulted in death and 1% resulted in an emergency room visit, a 0.1% increase form the week prior for both categories.
..... Western and Southern states including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Alaska had higher percentage of positive COVID-19 tests during the week ending August 9. [2025]
..... Reporting from states has slowed down enough that the CDC has begun allowing types of updates such as those on variant prevalence. As of late June [2025] - the latest data on variants -NB.1.8.1 remained the most common, accounting for 43% of cases, followed by LP.8.1 at 31% and XFG at 14%.
..... NB.1.8. experienced a meteoric rise to become the predominant variant, accounting for 0% of cases in April [2025] and only 10% in the last week of May, [2025] then up to 24% at the beginning of June [2025] and 43% by the end.
..... XFG, a combination of variants F7 and LP.8/1.2, is on the rise as of late. It was responsible for 0% of U.S. cases through March, [2025] 11% by early June and 14% by late June. [2025]
..... Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on May 27 [2025] that the COVID-19 vaccine would no longer be included in the CDC's recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women. The move broke with previous expert guidance and bypassed the normal scientific review process.
.....
Under the changes, the only people who will be recommended forCOVID-19 vaccines are those who are voer65 and people with existing health problems. This could make it harder for others who want the COVID-19 vaccine to get it, including health care workers and healthy people under 65 with a vulnerable family member or those who want to reduce their short-term risk of infection.
..... State health department and national professional organizations, including American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, broke from Kennedy to publish their own. These recommendations have remained consistent with those maintained by the World Helaht Organization, which said that currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective against new variants.
..... The WHO, AMA, AAP and existing standards recommend that people should especially get the vaccine if they have never received a COVID-19 vaccine, are 65 and older, are immunocomprimised, live at a long-term care facility, want to avoid getting long COVID-19 and/or are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to get pregnant.