CDC Tracks COVID-19 Variants LB.1 & KP.3

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The CDC is monitoring the spread of the COVID-19 LB.1 variant, which is gaining on the dominant KP.3 variant.

COVID Variants Breaking Down

For two weeks, June 9-22, the breakdown of COVID variants was as follows, per the CDC data tracker:

• KP.3: 33.1%
• KP.2: 20.8%
• LB.1: 17.5%
• JN.1: 1.6%

LB.1 Infects With Ease

"We can tell you that the variant LB.1 has the potential to infect some people more easily based on a single deletion in a spike protein," said CDC Spokesperson, Dave Daigle, to USA TODAY.

No Cause For Alarm

"There is currently no evidence that LB.1 causes more severe disease," Daigle added.

The CDC is continuing to monitor all COVID-19 variants, per Daigle, as infection numbers rise and a possible summer surge looms. The public health agency reminds the public that COVID-19 symptoms can appear 2-14 days after exposure, and range from mild to severe, including:

• Fever/chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Body aches
• Headache
• Loss of taste/smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion
• Nausea
• Diarrhea

For a full list and further updates, refer to the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html