The new strain, called BA.2.12.1, makes up about a fifth of all new Covid-19 cases, according to the agency.
State health officials estimated the latest variant to be 23 to 27 percent more transmissible than BA.2, which itself was more transmissible than the original omicron variant. However, there's currently no evidence to suggest that BA.2.12.1 causes more severe disease.
Federal and state officials have been watching the New York outbreak closely to see if it leads to an increase in Covid hospitalizations, which tend to lag cases by several weeks. John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College, in Manhattan, said scientists should expect to see continued increases in the transmissibility of the virus as it continues to mutate.But what would be more of a concern is if the variant is discovered to be more lethal, particularly in people who have been vaccinated or have protection from prior infection, Moore said.
Scientists still don't know if BA.2.12.1 is more lethal, he said, but the original omicron variant was found to be milder than previous variants.
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