COVID Nimbus Variant Now Leads the U.S. as Cases Grow in 27 States and Emergency Visits Rise

A Summer Wave Is Taking Shape

COVID-19 has not gone away. A new subvariant has taken over as the dominant circulating strain in the United States, emergency department visits are rising across all age groups, and federal epidemic models now show infections growing or likely growing in at least 27 states as of mid-July 2026.