KP.3.1. COVID-19 variant dominates cases in US
By: Ahjane Forbes
USA Today
..... COVID-19 wastewater levels and test positivity were both down slightly in the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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As of September 13, [2024] 21 states reported very high and 16 reported high levels of COVID-19 in wastewater. That's an improvement form the August 31 [2024] report, when a combined 45 states and territories reported high or very high levels of the virus in wastewater.
..... Six states and two territories reported moderate levels of the virus in wastewater. Michigan, New York and Rhode Island reported low or minimal levels. No data was available for New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon or Puerto Rico. The latest COVID-19 test positivity rate, posted on September 16, [2024] was recorded at 14.9% from September 1-7, [2024] a decease of 1.6 points from the prior week.
..... Here's the list of the regions' changes in COVID-19 positivity form the prior week:
* Region 1 (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont -0.1%.
* Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands) +5.9%.
* Region 3 ( Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia) -2.6%.
* Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee) -1.2%.
* Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin) -3.1%.
* Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas) -2.6%.
* Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska) +0.5%.
* Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, south Dakota, Utah, Wyoming) -0.9%.
* Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau) -3.4%.
* Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington) -1.2%.
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The COVID-19 variant KO.3.1.1 accounted for more than half of positive infections in the United States, the latest projections show.
..... From September 1-14, [2024] the KP.3.1.1 variant accounted for 52.7% of positive infections, followed by PK.2.3 at 12.2%. That's above a 13-point increase form KP.3.1.1 and a 2-point declines for KP.2.3.
..... KP.3.1.1 first became the leading variant in the two-week period from July 21 to August 3. [2024]
..... "The KP.3.1.1 variant very similar to other circulating variants in the United States. all current lineages are descendants of JN.1, which emerged in late 2023," rose Norman, a spokesperson at the CDC, previously told USA Today.
..... Although not reflected on the CDC's Nowcast data tracker, a newly discovered strain known as XEC continue to spread rapidly across multiple countries, including the U.S. Scripps Research reported 95 XEC cases across 12 U.S. states and 15 different countries as of September 5. [2024]
..... The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months old and older get the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine. Norman emphasizes the need in particular for elderly people and those who are uncompromising to get vaccinated.
..... Contributing: Julia Gomez, Anthony Robledo, USA Today.