The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention released an update on Jan. 5 about the prevalence of JN.1, explaining that the new variant may be “intensifying the spread of COVID-19 this winter.”
Test positivity and wastewater data show that viral activity in the U.S. is higher than this time last year, with wastewater data especially rising rapidly the past several weeks. COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations are still lower than last year, the CDC noted.
According to some experts and data models, the current surge in the U.S. is its second-largest since the pandemic began — after only the omicron surge from late 2021 to early 2022, which infected more people than even the early days of the pandemic.
According to Lucky Tran, Ph.D., science communicator at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, projections show as many as 1 in 3 people in the U.S. could be infected with COVID during the peak months of the current wave and up to 2 million people could be infected in a single day — data he attributed to
Michael Hoerger, Ph.D., an assistant professor at Tulane University School of Medicine, leads the Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative’s data tracker.
His research leads to projections that show as many as 1 in 3 people in the U.S. could be infected with COVID during the peak months of the current wave and up to 2 million people could be infected in a single day.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a staggering total of nearly 10,000 global deaths in December, raising alarm bells about a worsening worldwide health crisis stemming from the continued threat of COVID-19.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that while COVID-19 is no longer classified as a global health emergency, the virus remains a formidable threat.
He said newer cases, driven by holiday gatherings and the prevalence of the JN.1 variant, led to a 42% increase in hospitalizations and a 62% rise in ICU admissions.
Ghebreyeus urged governments to maintain surveillance and sequencing and ensure access to tests, treatments, and vaccines.
“We must all continue to take precautions against COVID-19,” he said.
The WHO plans to release its Health Emergency Appeal for 2024, outlining how much there’s a need to protect the health of the most vulnerable people in 41 emergencies globally.
“In 2024, we aim to reach almost 90 million people with lifesaving support,” Ghebreyeus declared. “The coming year will be a test for humanity; a test of whether we give into division, suspicion and narrow nationalism, or whether we are able to rise above our differences and seek the common good.
