Key Takeaways
- The new COVID-19 variant JN.1 is spreading fast in the United States, accounting for nearly half of the latest cases.
- JN.1 is the fastest growing variant in the country, responsible for 44% of new infections.
- The CDC estimates JN.1 is strongest in the Northeast regions, including New Jersey and New York.
Los Angeles: A new coronavirus subvariant JN.1 is spreading fast in the United States, and is now accounting for nearly half of the latest COVID-19 cases in the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
JN.1 is the fastest growing variant in the country. 44% of new COVID-19 infections are attributed to JN.1, up from 21.4% previously reported by the CDC.
The CDC estimates that JN.1 is strongest in the Northeast regions including New Jersey and New York, where it accounts for nearly 57 percent of cases.
JN.1 is closely related to the variant BA.2.86 that the CDC has been tracking since August. It was first detected in the United States in September 2023.
JN.1 is likely more transmissible than other variants “or better at evading our immune systems than other circulating variants,” said the CDC.
