The Omicron variant accounted for 73 percent of new coronavirus cases between Dec. 12 and 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday.
The Delta variant has been the driving force in U.S. infections for more than five months, with CDC data showing that at the end of last month, more than 99.5 percent of coronavirus cases were Delta. Omicron was first detected in southern Africa in late November, and has since been found in 90 countries. It's estimated that last week, more than 650,000 Omicron infections were reported in the United States.
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