Covid cases rise in north-eastern US, driven by the BA.2 subvariant

The subvariant of omicron that's more transmissible than BA.1 was responsible for an estimated 86% of new US cases last week

Covid cases are on the rise in the north-eastern part of the US, as many Americans travel and gather together for spring break and religious holidays.

The rise is being driven by BA.2, a subvariant of omicron which is more transmissible than its sibling BA.1, and was responsible for an estimated 86% of new Covid-19 cases nationwide last week, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).