Latest incidence data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that COVID strain JN.1 is responsible for 44 percent of new cases of COVID in the U.S. since late December.  The JN.1 variant is derived from Omicron family sub-strain BA.2.86 that appeared during the summer of 2023.  The JN.1 strain has been identified in twelve E.U. nations, Canada and most recently, China.

Hospital admissions and ER diagnoses of COVID are increasing and a spike is anticipated following Christmas and New Year travel. Although JN.1 may be capable of evading immunity, it is not regarded as a major risk to public health compared to previous variants of the virus causing SARS-CoV-19.

The CDC recommends boosting COVID vaccination and applying common-sense hygienic precautions. Studies show that solid immunity from vaccination reduces hospitalization by 70 percent in the Netherlands and significantly reduced ER visits in Seattle. Three doses of vaccine reduce the risk of ‘long-COVID’  by 75 percent.