New omicron variants emerging in the Northwest

The health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County says that new variants "are now on the radar" in the Northwest, as omicron continues to evolve.

In a recent tweet, Dr. Jeffrey Duchin said: "Multiple new variants now on radar for PNW. Unclear which ones will emerge as dominant but best to prepare now: get updated booster, improve indoor air, high-quality masks for indoor public spaces, test & isolate w/symptoms or +, get treated if eligible."

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The CDC's latest data for Oct. 9-15 shows BA.5 (the omicron variant common over the past few months) is giving way to a handful of newer variants — particularly BA.4.6, but also BQ.1, BQ.1.1, and BF.7.

According to Dr. Cyrus Shahpar, the White House's Covid-19 data director, these emerging variants are all considered "omicron," but are distinct.

CDC data states that BA.5 omicron remains the dominant variant spreading in the Northwest region, adding up to 79% of cases, while emerging BF.7 is 6.5% of cases and BA.4.6 is 5.8%.