WASHINGTON: Two new Omicron subvariants are on the rise in the United States, raising concerns among health experts that they could drive a COVID-19 outbreak this summer.

The subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 were predicted to account for roughly 13% of all new US COVID-19 cases in the week ending June 4, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  According to the CDC, BA.4 accounted for 5.4 percent of new cases, while BA.5 accounted for 7.6 percent. The two subvariants represented the highest percentage of cases in a region that comprises Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana, as per reports.

Following months of steady growth, another subvariant BA.2.12.1, which remains the prevalent variant in the country, accounted for 62.2 percent of all new US cases in the preceding week.

The BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants were added to the World Health Organization's monitoring list in March, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control recognised them as variants of concern. They were found in all US areas, according to CDC statistics. According to the WHO, the new subvariants are more contagious strains of Omicron that may be able to evade antibodies from previous infections well enough to start a new wave.

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