The latest estimate by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that about 60 percent of new COVID-19 cases in the country are the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant.

The CDC says that the fast-spreading strain is estimated to account for 61.3 percent of the country's coronavirus cases for the week through Saturday.

That is an increase of more than 10 percentage points from the previous week's figure of 49.5 percent.

The average daily number of new coronavirus infections reported in the US was about 42,000 as of Wednesday, marking a decline for the third straight week. The figure does not include positive cases identified by self-testing kits.

The average daily number of COVID-19 hospital admissions as of Tuesday was about 4,200, down around 10 percent from the previous week.

The average daily number of deaths as of Wednesday was about 540, showing a decline for two consecutive weeks.

The CDC calls on people to get vaccinated with updated, bivalent boosters as they can provide protection against the XBB.1.5 subvariant.