(The Epoch Times)—The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a recent update that the new COVID-19 variant JN.1 is continuing to spread across the United States, having nearly doubled in the past two weeks or so.
The agency said on Dec. 22 that JN.1 is continuing “to cause an increasing share of infections and is now the most widely circulating variant in the United States,” adding that it’s now about 39 percent to 50 percent of all COVID-19 variants, whereas JN.1 amounted to about 15 percent to 29 percent two weeks ago.
“JN. 1’s continued growth suggests that the variant is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems than other circulating variants. It is too early to know whether or to what extent JN.1 will cause an increase in infections or hospitalizations,” the CDC said. “We’re also seeing an increasing share of infections caused by JN.1 in travelers, wastewater, and most regions around the globe,” it added.
COVID-19 activity across the U.S. is “elevated and increasing” but “not dramatically,” the CDC said. Historical data shows that the current rash of COVID-19 infections across the country is smaller than previous years’ increases.
Days before, the U.N.’s World Health Organization (WHO) listed the COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 as a “variant of interest,” but it noted there is currently no evidence suggesting it’s more severe or a significant health risk.
Due to “limited evidence” that is currently available, the U.N. agency said that the variant “may cause an increase in SARS-CoV-2 cases amid a surge of infections of other viral and bacterial infections, especially in countries entering the winter season,” referring to the virus that causes COVID-19.
The latest CDC update comes as the agency’s director, Dr. Mandy Cohen, said that people who are sick should “please stay home.” However, she did not repeat the CDC’s recommendations during the pandemic that everyone should stay home regardless of whether they’re sick or not.
“Avoid spreading germs to others, especially your loved ones who are at higher risk of getting very sick. Also, get tested, so you know what you have and can get treatment,” she said on X.
Low Risk?
But despite the classification, WHO says that JN.1 likely poses a low risk compared with other COVID-19 variants.
“The spread of this variant will unlikely increase the burden on national public health systems compared to other Omicron sublineages,” the advisory said. “However, countries approaching the winter season should be aware that, altogether, SARS-CoV-2 and co-circulating pathogens may exacerbate the respiratory disease burden.”
JN.1 is now listed alongside Omicron sub-variants, including BA.2.86, XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, EG.5, and BA.2.86, which were deemed variants of interest. The U.N. health agency lists variants under several categories: variants under monitoring, which is the lowest level; variants of interest; and variants of concern, or the highest level.
While there might be more cases with the variant, the new variant doesn’t pose a greater risk, Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told ABC News last week.
“As we observe the rise of the JN.1 variant, it’s important to note that while it may be spreading more widely, there is currently no significant evidence suggesting it is more severe or that it poses a substantial public health risk,” Dr. John Brownstein, the chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, told ABC News.
Meanwhile, the CDC has said there is no evidence that JN.1 causes significantly different symptoms than other COVID-19 variants that are currently circulating. Like with other strains, many people may easily mistake symptoms of a COVID-19 case with other illnesses such as influenza, RSV, or the common cold.
Symptoms of a JN.1 COVID-19 infection could include cough, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, fever, loss of taste or smell, runny nose, brain fog, fatigue, muscle aches, and congestion.
Independent Journalism Is Dying
Ever since President Trump’s miraculous victory, we’ve heard an incessant drumbeat about how legacy media is dying. This is true. The people have awakened to the reality that they’re being lied to by the self-proclaimed “Arbiters of Truth” for the sake of political expediency, corporate self-protection, and globalist ambitions.
But even as independent journalism rises to fill the void left by legacy media, there is still a huge challenge. Those at the top of independent media like Joe Rogan, Dan Bongino, and Tucker Carlson are thriving and rightly so. They have earned their audience and the financial rewards that come from it. They’ve taken risks and worked hard to get to where they are.
For “the rest of us,” legacy media and their proxies are making it exceptionally difficult to survive, let alone thrive. They still have a stranglehold over the “fact checkers” who have a dramatic impact on readership and viewership. YouTube, Facebook, and Google still stifle us. The freer speech platforms like Rumble and 𝕏 can only reward so many of their popular content creators. For independent journalists on the outside looking in, our only recourse is to rely on affiliates and sponsors.
But even as it seems nearly impossible to make a living, there are blessings that should not be disregarded. By highlighting strong sponsors who share our America First worldview, we have been able to make lifelong connections and even a bit of revenue to help us along. This is why we enjoy symbiotic relationships with companies like MyPillow, Jase Medical, and Promised Grounds. We help them with our recommendations and they reward us with money when our audience buys from them.
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Even our faith-driven precious metals sponsor helps us tremendously while also helping Americans protect their life’s savings. We are blessed to work with them.
Independent media is the future. In many ways, that future is already here. While the phrase, “the more the merrier,” does not apply to this business because there are still some bad actors in the independent media field, there are many great ones that do not get nearly enough attention. We hope to change that one content creator at a time.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
