CDC: New COVID Variant Makes Up Majority of All Cases

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....