WASHINGTON — COVID-19 cases are on the rise, just in time for Christmas.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a fast-spreading new variant, called JN.1, could drive a new wave of disease across the country.
U.S. health officials said flu and COVID-19 infections will likely ramp up in the coming weeks due to holiday gatherings.
Dr. Kathy Weishaar is the vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer at Frederick Health. She said the new variant is responsible for around 20% of the new COVID cases.
“To my knowledge, there’s been no evidence thus far, though, that there’s any cause for concern that this new variant causes more disease than any prior variants or more severe disease,” Weishaar added. “So it’s sort of it’s a descendant of Omicron, and it’s going to be very similar to what we’ve likely seen in the past.”
As for the flu, early signs suggest current vaccines are well-matched to the strain that is causing the most illnesses, and that strain usually doesn’t cause as many deaths and hospitalizations as some other versions.
Though officials say they have seen a decrease in people getting vaccinated, about 42% of U.S. adults had gotten flu shots by the first week of December. That was down from about 45% at the same time last year, according to the CDC.
Weishaar she has been seeing more of the flu than COVID lately along with RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
“There’s other respiratory viruses that are not one of those three that also tend to circulate at this time of the year and so if you’re going to be in large crowds or traveling, you would probably want to take some precautions,” Weishaar said.
The CDC said only about 18% have gotten an updated COVID-19 shot that became available in September. At nursing homes, about a third of residents are up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and only 17% of adults 60 years and older had received new shots against another respiratory virus.
RSV is a common cause of mild cold like symptoms but it can be dangerous for infants and older people.
“The challenge this time of the year, too, is it’s sometimes hard to know what you have because the symptoms of influenza, COVID and some of the other respiratory illnesses all are very similar,” Weishaar said. “It is important to try to test early, isolate yourself as appropriate and try to keep yourself well as best you can and protect those around you.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.