INDIANA – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the coronavirus subvariant JN.1 is now causing about 20% of new COVID-19 infections in this country, and it’s the fastest-growing strain of the virus. It’s already dominant in the Northeast, estimated to cause about a third of new infections.
Variant trackers say they expect JN.1 to become the leading coronavirus variant worldwide in a matter of weeks. The World Health Organization named it a variant of interest on Tuesday because of its “rapidly increasing spread” but noted that the additional public health risk remains low.
The CDC estimates that the prevalence of JN.1 more than doubled in the US between late November and mid-December. Health experts say it seems to be getting assistance from holiday travel and waning immunity from previous COVID shots.
Several European countries – including Denmark, Spain, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands – have seen exponential growth of JN.1 and rising hospitalizations. It’s also multiplying in Australia, Asia, and Canada.
That’s also happening in the United States. Too many Americans have chosen to forego the latest round of vaccination for COVID-19. As a result, health officials say their immunity hasn’t had the important upgrades that help the body fend off the worst consequences of COVID-19 infections.
As of December 9, only about 18% of adults had received the latest COVID-19 vaccine, about the same low proportion of the population that got them last year, according to the CDC.
The CDC emphasizes that it’s not too late in the season to benefit from the shots.
