What COVID variants are circulating in the U.S.?

If you're wondering which versions of the COVID-19 virus are currently spreading in the United States, a new surveillance report provides a snapshot. The report looked at trends from May 2023 through September 2024. It found that the virus lineages circulating during that time were primarily descendants of the Omicron variants known as XBB and JN.1. This kind of report is like a weather map for viruses—it shows what's out there and where. It's important to understand what this report is and what it isn't. It summarizes trends in variant proportions based on genetic sequencing. It does not report on how sick these variants make people, whether they cause more severe disease, or how well current vaccines or treatments work against them. The report also doesn't provide specific numbers on how many cases each variant caused. This information helps public health experts monitor the virus's evolution, but it's just one piece of the puzzle for understanding risk.