CDC: New COVID Variant Makes Up Majority of All Cases

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 25, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the COVID-19 variant JN.1 now accounts for more than half of all cases in the United States.

As of Jan. 5, the variant was “estimated to account for approximately 62 percent of all currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, an increase from the estimated prevalence of 44 percent two weeks ago,” the agency said, noting that JN.1 is more common among international travelers.

JN.1 might be increasing the spread of the virus for the winter, the agency said, noting that COVID-19 is “causing severe disease less frequently than earlier in the pandemic.”

It is also the dominant variant in Europe and is rising sharply in Asia, the CDC said.

The predicted range of 55 to 68 percent of cases is an increase from the estimated prevalence of 39 percent to 50 percent of cases in the United States projected by the CDC as of Dec. 23.

COVID-19 hospitalizations increased 20.4 percent the week ending Dec. 30, the CDC said. Historical data from the agency shows that the current increase in the virus is much smaller than earlier rises throughout the pandemic.

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In December, the World Health Organization classified JN.1 as a “variant of interest” and said that current evidence shows risk to public health from the strain was low.

Public health officials and the CDC have said there is no evidence that JN.1 presents different symptoms than other variants.

A spokesperson for the CDC told Newsweek that “there is no data that would indicate JN.1 infection produces different symptoms from other variants,” adding, “In general, symptoms of COVID-19 tend to be wide ranging with all variants.”

Survey data collected by health officials in the United Kingdom show that approximately 10.8 percent of surveyed UK residents reported having issues trying to sleep. The same dataset shows that 10.5 percent of survey respondents cited worry or anxiety as a COVID-19 symptom. In comparison, a survey released in 2022 for Scotland shows no mention of trouble sleeping or insomnia as symptoms.

The CDC spokesperson added to the outlet that “the types of symptoms and how severe they are usually depend more on a person’s immunity and overall health rather than which variant causes the infection.”

“There have been reports that COVID-19 may be associated with insomnia and anxiety in some patients, and therefore that can be a general symptom of infection and not related to the variant,” the CDC official said, adding that the agency “is constantly researching the effects of COVID variants and will update the public as we learn more.”

The CDC currently lists symptoms of COVID-19 infection as fever or chills, sore throat, cough, runny nose or congestion, difficulty breathing, fatigue, loss of smell or taste, muscle aches, headaches, brain fog, and stomach issues such as vomiting or diarrhea.

Mandate Update

While it doesn’t appear that mask mandates will be implemented en masse at public places such as theaters, supermarkets, schools, malls, and other locations, a number of hospitals in major cities have reinstated mask rules in recent days.

In a recent example, several hospitals in Philadelphia implemented masking requirements in and around the Philadelphia area. Visitors and staff at Cooper University Health Care facilities have to wear face coverings in examination rooms and patient rooms starting Jan. 5.

On Jan. 6, Jefferson Health said that it would temporarily require all staff members in certain locations to wear masks until Jan. 29, and the University of Pennsylvania Health System has said it will require masks during all patient care and patient-facing procedures.

“Patients who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days or who have symptoms of COVID-19—cough, fever, sore throat, nasal congestion—must wear a mask,” the hospital said in a statement, according to CBS News. “Visitors who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days or who have symptoms of COVID-19 are not allowed to enter any facility, even with a mask.”

A woman and girls leave a COVID-19 testing site in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 5, 2022. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

Last week, Los Angeles County announced it will require masking in certain hospital settings when the county hits a medium level for COVID-19 hospitalizations, which it and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines as 10 to 10.9 new hospital admissions for every 100,000 people over a seven-day period.

New York City’s government implemented a mask mandate for all of its 11 public hospitals and various health care and long-term care centers across the five boroughs, according to an announcement several days ago.

Hospitals in Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Delaware, and Washington state have issued similar mandates. In November, a mask mandate until late spring was reinstated at multiple California counties near San Francisco.

Reuters contributed to this report.