What to know about the BA.4.6, BF.7 and BA.2.75 variants now growing nationwide

The BA.5 variant that dominated the summer wave of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations has now fallen to 83.1% of new cases, according to estimates released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Three rival strains – the BF.7, BA.2.75, and BA.4.6 variants – have now climbed to make up nearly 1 in 5 new infections nationwide, according to the federal estimates. 

The growth of the new variants comes at a time when reported COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have largely slowed nationwide.