LOS ANGELES - (Xinhua) -- The two new sub-strains of Omicron, PQ.1 and PQ.1.1, accounted for nearly 70 percent of the new COVID-19 infections reported in the United States over the past week, according to estimates. Issued on Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The "BQ1.1" strain accounted for approximately 36.8 percent of infections with variants spread to COVID-19 in the country during the week ending December 10, while the infection rate of the "BQ.1" strain was estimated at 31.1 percent, according to the data released by the agency. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The two new strains belong to the Omicron subspecies PA.5. The infection rate has increased rapidly, especially since October.

At the beginning of October, each of the two strains accounted for 1 percent of new COVID-19 infections in the United States. They replaced Pa.5 as the dominant strains in the United States in mid-November.