Omicron Covid variant estimated to be 58.6% of U.S. cases, CDC says

• The delta Covid variant still accounts for an estimated 41.1% of cases in the U.S., the CDC said.
• The first known case of omicron in the U.S. was identified on December 1.

People queue for a COVID-19 test in Times Square as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., December 26, 2021.

Andrew Kelly | Reuters

The Omicron variant was estimated to be 58.6% of the coronavirus variants circulating in the United States for the week ending December 25, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The fast-spreading variant was first detected in southern Africa and Hong Kong in November, with the first known case in the United States identified on December 1 in a fully vaccinated person who had traveled to South Africa.

The Delta variant accounts for 41.1% of all U.S. Covid-19 cases, according to the public health agency's data on Tuesday.

The agency said the data includes modeled projection that may differ from weighted estimates generated at later dates.