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today.com: Right now, all eyes are on the new COVID variant JN.1, a heavily mutated new strain that has swept the United States in recent weeks. And with the country yet to hit peak respiratory virus season, you can expect to see more cases of the new variant in the coming weeks.
JN.1 is now the fastest-growing variant in the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It currently accounts for more than one-fifth of all infections in the U.S.
The HV.1 subvariant is still the dominant strain right now — but JN.1 is not far behind. During the two-week period ending on Dec. 9, HV.1 accounted for about 30% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., per the CDC’s latest estimates. JN.1 was the second-most prevalent strain, making up about 21% of cases, followed by EG.5.
Scientists are closely monitoring JN.1, which has sparked some concern due to its rapid growth rate and large number of mutations. However, the new variant is closely related to a strain we've seen before. It's a direct offshoot of BA.2.86, aka "Pirola," which has been spreading in the U.S. since the summer.
JN.1 has one more mutation compared to its parent strain BA.2.86, which has more than 30 mutations that set it apart from the omicron XBB.1.5 variant. XBB.1.5 was the dominant strain for most of 2023 and it's the variant targeted in the updated COVID-19 vaccine, TODAY.com previously reported.
All of the most prevalent COVID-19 variants in the U.S. right now are descendants of omicron, which began circulating in late 2021.
During the last few weeks, JN.1 has beat out many other variants, including its parental strain BA.2.86 as well as EG.5 or Eris, and XBB.1.16 aka Arcturus.
JN.1's growth comes as COVID hospitalizations rise quickly, influenza continues to spread and RSV activity is still high in many places, according to a Dec. 14 update from the CDC. The agency warned that at the end of the month, emergency rooms and hospitals could become strained, similarly to last year, especially in the South.
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