Thread by @Mike_Honey_

Here's the latest variant picture for the United States, to early November.

The XFG.* "Stratus" variant continued it’s dominance, roughly flat at 83% frequency.

NB.1.8.1 "Nimbus" was down slightly to 7%.

#COVID19 #SARSCoV2 #USA #XFG #Stratus #NB_1_8_1 #Nimbus
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XFG.1.1 is emerging as a new contender. It is characterised by a reversion to Spike W452R, which captured the attention of the Variant Hunters.

XFG.1.1 finished at 4%.
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Mutations at position 452 have swung from near-zero to near-100% in a multiple-pendulum pattern, across the span of the pandemic. SL452W has been dominant since JN.1 emerged, the longest period of stability.
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The previous variants with S:W452R (Delta & BA.5) were generally more severe in their impact on individuals.
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For the US, XFG.1.1 is showing a slowing advantage of 2.9% per day (20% per week) over other XFG.* "Stratus" lineages. At that pace, any crossover might be in the New Year.
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Here are the leading US states reporting XFG.1.1.

Oregon has reported the highest frequency at 19%, while California reached 11% and Minnesota hit 10%.
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Report link:

🧵 endsmike-honey.github.io/covid-19-genom…