June 26, 2023 -- The CDC is watching a new COVID-19 subvariant called EU.1.1 that has infected people in some northwestern states.
EU.1.1 is a descendant of XBB.1.5 and was detected last year in Europe, CBS News reported. It currently accounts for about 1.7% of all COVID cases in the United States and about 8.7% of cases in Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and the Dakotas. Utah has the most cases at about 100, with Nevada and Colorado reporting cases in the single digits.
It’s too early to know if this subvariant will cause new symptoms in people who are infected or if a new form of vaccine is needed. The majority of Americans now have some form of immunity from either vaccinations or past infection, CBS said.
XBB.1.5 is still the dominant strain of COVID in the U.S., but cases have declined to around 27% of all COVID infections, the CDC says. XBB.1.16 accounts for 19.9% of cases, and XBB.1.9.2 accounts for 13%, the CDC says.
The FDA announced this month that the next COVID-19 vaccines should target the XBB variants now in circulation in the United States and advised manufacturers to begin planning for fall shots now.