The BA.2.86 variant has been detected in New York City’s sewage. This variant of COVID-19 is different from others currently circulating. When a variant has many new changes, it may be more likely to make us sick. However, we do not know if the BA.2.86 variant is more infectious or causes more severe illness than previous variants.
When cases rise and some new variants emerge, precautions are increasingly important, especially for our most vulnerable New Yorkers who are older or have underlying health conditions. Masking, testing and staying home when sick can reduce the spread of COVID-19. Antibodies from vaccination and immunity from prior infections can also make us less likely to get sick. Antiviral medicines like Paxlovid can treat infection.
Everyone should continue to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations, get tested if they have symptoms or have been exposed, and wear a high-quality mask when they are sick, following an exposure or when COVID-19 levels increase.
The data on this page show how variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 are spreading in NYC. Variants are versions of the virus with certain sets of mutations. Some variants may result in a COVID-19 infection that is easier to spread, more severe or able to avoid antibodies from vaccines or previous infections.
Spread of Variants in NYC
These charts show the percent and number of tested cases each week over the past three months that have the most common variants in New York City.
These charts show the percent of NYC's confirmed COVID-19 cases that have been tested for virus variants and reported to the Health Department over the past three months, and the total number tested each week.
About Health Inequities in Data: Differences in health outcomes and vaccination coverage among racial and ethnic groups are due to long-term structural racism, not biological or personal traits.
