As of the start of the cold winter months after the holidays, there have been more lung illnesses, such as COVID. We recently saw a rise in COVID cases around the holidays. However, a new type of COVID-19 has now taken over.
This type of COVID is called JN.1, and it was first seen in September. As of now, 39% of all COVID cases this season are from this strain. The experts say that it “does not appear to pose additional risks to public health beyond that of other recent variants” and that the COVID vaccines and tests that have been used in the past still work on this variant.
It’s still getting worse, though, as 34,000 people were hospitalized with COVID during the week of December 30th. Doctors also talked about the Flu and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), which have also been on the rise in the past few weeks.
“The numbers so far are definitely going in the not-so-good direction,” Ziyad Al-Aly, Chief of the Research and Development service at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Healthcare System, said. He also said that we can expect a rise in January when people return from vacations.
The sickness itself has a fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, tiredness, and pain, just like it did last year and the years before that. Even though COVID isn’t as dangerous as it was when it first appeared, it’s still something to be worried about. People with “mild COVID” could be unhappy and sick for three to five days.
Marcus Plesia, who is the chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said that staying home when you’re sick can “make a big difference.” It is important to remember that signs can be different for everyone. The older, younger, pregnant women, and people who already have breathing problems are most likely to be affected.
Also, experts said that making people wear masks might not work, but it could help you and your family a lot if you do. To help protect yourself from getting COVID, make sure you get your COVID vaccine up to date and take COVID tests often, even if your symptoms seem mild.
