January 9, 2024- It has been nearly four years since the pandemic emerged, and the winter respiratory season has brought on a new variant of the disease. There has been an increase nationally in emergency room visits and hospitalizations for COVID-19, the flu, and RSV that began mid- December and has been continuing, according to KFF Health News. Read on for three important things to know this time around:
- The newest Variant JN.1
The newest variant circulating right now is known as JN.1, a descendant of omicron. It is rapidly spreading, representing between 39% to half of the cases, according to stats from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The variant “does not appear to pose additional risks to public health beyond that of other recent variants,” according to the CDC.
2. Fewer people are becoming seriously ill
New hospitalizations from COVID-19 are about one-third of what they were around the 2022 holidays. Weekly deaths dropped slightly the last week of December to 839 and are also substantially below levels from a year ago.
3. How to prepare
Symptoms of the covid variants currently circulating will likely be familiar — such as a runny nose, sore throat, cough, fatigue, fever, and muscle aches. If you feel sick, stay home and test according to the CDC.