A new COVID-19 subvariant is growing fast in Los Angeles County ahead of the winter holidays.
Known as JN.1, it’s the fastest-growing Omicron subvariant in the U.S., causing an estimated 1 in 5 infections nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It’s already dominant in the Northeast and is spreading rapidly locally, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
JN.1 accounted for 10% of cases in L.A. County in late November, which is the most recent data available. That’s up from just 1% in October.
This week, JN.1 was classified as a “variant of interest” by the World Health Organization because of its “rapidly increasing spread.” It’s been found in many countries around the world, including India, China and multiple European countries.
The WHO says the risk to the public is currently low, and the current vaccines continue to offer protection.
How is JN.1 different?
The virus that causes COVID is constantly changing over time. Omicron has been globally dominant since the winter of 2021. About 30 subvariants of Omicron, including JN.1, are circulating in L.A. County, according to data from the Department of Public Health.
A change in the spike protein of JN.1 seems to help the virus escape our immunity better than other subvariants, said UC Irvine epidemiologist Andrew Noymer.
“When there’s a mutation in the protein, it’s able to evade previous immune responses that we may have developed and become a better infector,” he said. “I expect JN.1 to become the dominant variant, both worldwide and here in California by the end of the winter.”
There are no reports of people…
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