CDC now tracking BN.1, the latest new COVID variant on the rise

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now tracking the rise of another COVID-19 variant known as BN.1, according to figures published by the agency this month, marking the latest new Omicron descendant now spreading around the country this fall.

Some 4.3% of new COVID-19 cases nationwide are now linked to the BN.1 variant, according to "Nowcast" estimates released on Friday by the CDC. 

Prevalence of the new strain is largest in the West, in the region that spans Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada. 6.2% of new cases in that area, HHS Region 9, are from BN.1.