LOS ANGELES, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant has accounted for over 85 percent of new COVID-19 infections in the United States, according to the data updated Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

       The BA.2 variant represented 85.9 percent of new COVID-19 cases for the week ending April 9, according to the CDC data.

       This data went up from 75.4 percent a week prior, and 65.8 percent two weeks before.

       The variant has been steadily rising in proportion due to its increased transmissibility compared to the original Omicron strain. It has already become the dominant strain in the United States.

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