LOS ANGELES, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant has become the dominant strain in the United States, according to new data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday.

       The variant has been steadily rising in proportion due to its increased transmissibility compared to the original Omicron strain.

       The BA.2 variant represented 54.9 percent of new COVID-19 cases for the week ending March 26, according to CDC data.

       This data is up from 39 percent a week prior, and 27.8 percent two weeks before.

       The BA.2 subvariant is thought to be about 30 percent more transmissible than the original BA.1 Omicron strain, early study suggested.