Nearly 50% of new Covid-19 cases across the US are due to the JN.1 variant

A report released by the CDC on December 25 shows that JN.1 is currently the fastest growing and dominant variant in the country.

According to the CDC, this variant caused more than 44% of new Covid-19 infections across the US between December 10 and December 23, double the previously reported 21.4%.

The CDC estimates that JN.1 is spreading most strongly in the Northeast, including New Jersey and New York, where the variant accounts for nearly 57% of infections.

JN.1 is closely related to BA.2.86 - the variant that has been monitored by the US CDC since last August.

The JN.1 variant was first detected in the US in September 2023. According to the CDC, JN.1 is more transmissible than other variants “or better at evading our immune system than other circulating variants.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified JN.1 as a "variant of concern" (VOI), citing its rapid global spread. However, they note that the variant currently poses a low risk globally.

WHO said JN.1 has been recorded in 41 countries, led by France, the US, Singapore, Canada, the UK and Sweden, and predicted the number of infections could increase further in the winter.

The Financial Times quoted Carlos Malvestutto (associate professor of infectious diseases at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center) as saying that in the US, the application of Covid-19 vaccination and compliance with other preventive measures such as wearing masks have decreased sharply since the peak of the epidemic.

Minh Hoa (reported by Vietnam+, Tuoi Tre Online)

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