JN.1 Now Dominant COVID-19 Strain in China, Health Authorities Say

Published on February 8, 2024

Chinese health authorities have said that JN.1 has become the main stain causing COVID-19 infections in China amid an ongoing pneumonia outbreak sweeping across the country since last September. The National Health Commission said at a press briefing on Feb. 4 that monitoring data showed a slight increase in COVID-19 cases, with the Omicron JN.1 mutant strain now being the dominant epidemic strain in the country. With the increase in inter-regional traveling and large gatherings around the Chinese New Year that falls on Feb. 10, the spread of COVID-19 is expected to increase. Health authorities also said acute respiratory disease has declined in the past three weeks. Among them, influenza showed a downward trend, but it is still the main pathogen of current respiratory disease infections, and other respiratory diseases are at a lower level....

Continue reading on website
Other news

Melbourne Council to Repair Heavily Damaged Statue to Colonial Explorer

February 8, 2024
A council in Melbourne, Victoria will reinstate a Captain James Cook statue vandalised in St Kilda ahead of Australia Day.The Port Phillip Council, which covers the Melbourne suburb of St. Kilda, is keen to send a clear message to vandals by repairing the century-old statue.On Jan. 25, a Captain Cook statue was cut at the ankles and defaced ahead of Australia Day. The monument was sprayed with the

Special Counsel Completes Biden Classified Documents Probe

February 8, 2024
Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Hur has concluded his investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents during his time as a U.S. senator and as vice president, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland.The attorney general revealed the probe had reached completion in a letter (pdf) to lawmakers dated Feb. 7. It did not state what conclusion the special counse