The omicron variant of the coronavirus is by far the dominant one in the United States right now: More than 73% of new cases in the country are now caused by this new strain, according to recent data from the CDC.
The country's top health authority also revised its estimates from last week, saying
the omicron variant accounted for 12% of all cases for the week ending December 11
.
Previously it had been estimated at 3%.
Ómicron outpaced the delta variant - which used to be the most common - with worrying speed.
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The new and highly mutated variant was first detected in South Africa last November.
The first case detected in the country was reported on December 1.
In certain areas of the country, the omicron variant even accounts for a larger share of cases: including New York, New Jersey, as well as some parts of the Midwest and South.
"This considerable increase was expected and is similar to what has been observed in the rest of the world,"
the CDC said in a statement.
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But the rapid speed impresses experts:
"This speed of transmission is surprising even to me,"
said Bill Hanage, an epidemiologist at Harvard's TH Chan School of Public Health.
"The variant is fiercely fast," he added.
