Tracking the Rise of the New COVID-19 Variant LB.1: CDC Monitoring and Projections

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely monitoring the rise of the new COVID-19 LB.1 variant, which is beginning to trail behind the KP.3 variant. According to the CDC’s Nowcast data tracker, the KP.3 variant accounted for 33.1% of positive infections, followed by KP.2 at 20.8%. The LB.1 variant, a newcomer on the scene, was at 17.5% of infections, while the previous dominant variant JN.1 only had 1.6% of positive cases.

CDC spokesperson Dave Daigle stated that the LB.1 variant has the potential to infect some people more easily due to a single deletion in a spike protein, similar to the JN.1 lineage. The CDC is closely monitoring the rate of infection of the LB.1 variant to assess its impact.

Despite the rise of the LB.1 variant, there is currently no evidence that it causes more severe disease, according to Daigle. The CDC continues to track all COVID-19 variants and is working to better understand their potential impact on public health.

As the number of infections continues to rise and the potential for a summer surge looms, the CDC remains vigilant in monitoring the situation. Stay tuned for more updates on the evolving COVID-19 situation.