Recent reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that the new COVID-19 variant, JN.1, is spreading rapidly in the United States and now accounts for 44.1% of the cases.
This marks a significant increase in the prevalence of the fast-spreading strain, which is more than double the 21.3% estimate for the week ending December 9 after Thanksgiving, CBS News reported citing CDC findings.
The Northeast region, including New Jersey and New York, has the highest prevalence of the strain at 56.9% of cases.
"JN.1's continued growth suggests that the variant is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems than other circulating variants. It is too early to know whether or to what extent JN.1 will cause an increase in infections or hospitalizations," the CDC said.
The new estimates follow a surge in JN.1 prevalence in other countries, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to classify it as a "variant of interest," which is the second-highest tier.
While this new variant has not been found to cause severe symptoms compared to previous strains, it has raised concerns among health authorities due to its unprecedented accumulation of mutations, primarily inherited from its highly mutated parent BA.2.86.
Although BA.2.86, despite infecting people in dozens of countries, failed to gain a global presence, the additional mutations in JN.1 have altered the strain's trajectory, raising concerns about its potential increased transmissibility.
The JN.1 variant in the US, which was first reported in September, has become the fastest-growing COVID-19 case in estimates by CDC's "Nowcast" — a model that estimates more recent proportions of circulating variants and enables timely public health action.
The CDC has not updated its variant classifications since September, when BA.2.86 was classified as a "variant being monitored."
Additionally, the Biden administration has not elevated JN.1 to a standalone "variant of interest,". Instead, the variant is grouped with its BA.2.86 parent as a "variant being monitored."
"We will continue to monitor variants, including JN.1 and provide updates when information changes," CDC spokesperson Jasmine Reed said in an email.
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