COVID-19 tests available again amid new CDC data on variants, cases

Almost 60% of positive infections in the United States are from COVID-19 variant KP.3.1.1, the latest projections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show.

The agency’s Nowcast data tracker, which displays COVID-19 estimates and projections for two-week periods, reflected that the KP.3.1.1 variant accounted for 58.7% of positive infections, followed by KP.2.3 at 9.4% in the two-week stretch starting on Sept. 15 and ending on Sept. 28.

KP.3.1.1 first became the leading variant in the two-week period, starting on July 21 and ending on Aug. 3.

“The KP.3.1.1 variant is very similar to other circulating variants in the United States. All current lineages are descendants of JN.1, which emerged in late 2023,” Rosa Norman, a spokesperson at the CDC, previously told .

Previously, the KP.3.1.1 variant made up 50.2% of cases for the two-week period that started on Sept. 1 and ended on Sept. 14, and KP.2.3 accounted for 12.0%. According to the data, KP.3.1.1 rose 8.5%, and KP.2.3 decreased 2.6% from Sept. 14 in projected positive infections.

According to the CDC’s Nowcast data, the following variants are in the top 10:

Can’t see the table? Click here to view it.

COVID-19 tests: Free COVID-19 tests are now available. Here’s how you can get them.

Free COVID-19 tests

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week that households across the nation can obtain four free at-home COVID-19 tests while supplies last.

The free at-home test giveaway comes after a rise in positive COVID-19 tests, and as flu activity begins to spark in October.

“Before you visit with your family and friends this holiday season, take a quick test and help keep them safe from COVID-19,” Dawn O’Connell, HHS assistant secretary for preparedness and response said in a statement.

The tests will be able to detect the dominant COVID-19 variants now circulating, according to the CDC.

COVID-19 vaccine

In the FDA’s press release on Aug. 22, the federal agency said that the mRNA COVID-19 2024-2025 vaccines have been updated with a, “formula to more closely target currently circulating variants and provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID-19.”  

According to the press release, the updated COVID-19 vaccines include “a monovalent (single) component that corresponds to the Omicron variant KP.2 strain of SARS-CoV-2.” 

In a statement, Norman told , “CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are working together to make sure COVID-19 vaccines continue to match currently circulating variants.”

JN.1 is a COVID-19 variant that has been circulating since December 2023. The CDC explains how JN.1, KP.2, KP.3, and KP.3.1.1 variants are all connected.  

“KP.3.1.1 is a sub-lineage of KP.3,” Norman said. “KP.2, KP.3 and KP.3.1.1 are all descendants of JN.1 and have similar spike proteins.”

COVID-19 cases on the rise: What to know about vaccines the FDA approved, latest CDC data

COVID-19 Current Wastewater Viral Activity Levels Map

Note: Typically, wastewater data are updated weekly and the data that is published shows the results for the prior week. However, the results can take up to five days to a week to be published online. Thus, the data from Sept. 21 is considered the most recent data.

Here is a map of the states and territories that have reported wastewater viral activity levels. The data was published on Sept. 27.

Can’t see the map? Click here to view it.

Here is a breakdown of the data that is shown in the map of the states and territories that have reported wastewater viral activity levels:

• Very High: 13 states
• High: 20 states; one territory
• Moderate: nine states
• Low: six states
• Minimal: one state
• No Data: one state; one territory

Start your day informed: Sign up for ‘s Daily Briefing newsletter.

Changes in COVID-19 test positivity within a week

Data collected by the CDC shows that five states and one territory that make up Region 3 had the biggest decrease (-3%) in positive COVID-19 cases from Sept. 15, 2024, to Sept. 21, 2024.

The data was posted on Sept. 27.

Note: The CDC organizes positivity rate based on regions, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Here’s the list of states and their regions’ changes in COVID-19 positivity for the past week:

• Region 1 (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont): -2.1%
• Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands): -0.2%
• Region 3 (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia): -3%
• Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee): -2.3%
• Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin): -2.2%
• Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas): -2.3%
• Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska): -1.6%
• Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming): -1.8%
• Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau): -0.8%
• Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington): +0.6%

The CDC data shows COVID-19 test positivity rate was recorded at 11.6% from Sept. 15 to Sept. 21, an absolute change of -1.8% from the prior week.

COVID-19 symptoms

The CDC has not said if the different variants have their own specific symptoms. The government agency outlines the basic symptoms of COVID-19 on its website. These symptoms can appear between two and 14 days after exposure to the virus and can range from mild to severe.

These are some of the symptoms of COVID-19:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

The CDC said you should seek medical attention if you have the following symptoms:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at . Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at aforbes@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.