The Omicron variant is now the most common coronavirus variant in the US, the CDC says

• The Omicron variant is now the most common coronavirus variant in the US, the CDC said Monday.
• The variant now accounts to 73% of recent confirmed COVID cases in the US, according to the CDC.

The Omicron variant is now the most common coronavirus variant in the US, the CDC announced Monday.

Federal officials said the variant, which is highly transmissible, accounts for 73% of recent confirmed cases in the US, according to CDC data. In some areas of the US, the variant makes up more than 90% of confirmed cases.

—Meg Tirrell (@megtirrell) December 20, 2021

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said early data has shown that the Omicron variant may cause less severe disease.

Late last month, the World Health Organization declared Omicron a "variant of concern."

"This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning," the WHO said at the time. "Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other" variants of concern, like the Delta variant.

Previously, the Delta variant accounted for 99.3% of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US from November 28 to December 4, according to CDC data.