A new omicron subvariant that is spreading in a large chunk of the United States is poised to take over BA.2 as the dominant strain circulating in the country, according to White House COVID-?19 Response Team.
The new strain, BA.2.12.1., "is more contagious with more immune escape, and they are driving a lot of the increases in infection that we're seeing across the nation right now", White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha said at a routine news conference Wednesday.
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Political News
April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.