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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Less than one-third of Americans, 29%, have gotten the new COVID-19 vaccine that was released this fall. In contrast, 47% of U.S. adults say they have gotten the annual flu shot this year.
Another 20% of U.S. adults indicate they plan to get the new COVID-19 shot, which could bring the level of current vaccination against COVID-19 to close to half of Americans, but that still falls below the combined 63% who have gotten or plan to get the flu shot.
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These results are based on Gallups latest COVID-19 survey update, conducted Nov. 30-Dec. 7 with more than 6,000 adult members of Gallups probability-based panel.
Gallup had found that over seven in 10 U.S. adults had received the earlier versions of COVID-19 vaccines, which were first available to the public in late 2020 and early 2021. The past two years, booster shots to those initial vaccines were made available. The new shot can be given to people regardless of whether they have been previously vaccinated against COVID-19.
Older Americans, those aged 65 and older, are getting the updated COVID-19 shots at higher rates than the general population -- 46% have already done so. However, seniors are still more likely to have gotten the annual flu shot, with 68% saying they had.
This year, public health officials have also recommended that older Americans get vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. To date, 22% of U.S. seniors have gotten an RSV vaccination.
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In addition to age differences, vaccine intentions for both COVID-19 and flu differ by party identification, but more so for COVID-19.
Among the subset of U.S. adults who do not intend to receive the new COVID-19 shot, their primary reasons for not doing so are because they have had COVID-19 and believe they have antibodies (27%) and because of safety concerns about the vaccine (24%). The next most common reasons are because of questions about the effectiveness of the vaccine (18%) and because they dont believe they would suffer serious health effects from the coronavirus (16%).
Smaller proportions under 10% say they distrust vaccines in general or are concerned about an allergic reaction to the vaccine.
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Forty-two percent of Democratic holdouts say they do not intend to get the new COVID-19 shot because they have had COVID-19, a much larger percentage than for independents (26%) or Republicans (20%) who dont plan to be vaccinated. Republicans who do not plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine are most likely to cite safety concerns (31%) as their primary reason.
Americans may see less of a need to get vaccinated against COVID-19 because they are less worried about getting the illness and believe the situation is improving.
Twenty-three percent of U.S. adults are very or somewhat worried about getting COVID-19, which is near the low in Gallups trend. Concern had ticked up in the prior survey, conducted in August and September, from 18% to 27% before edging down this month.
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The high point in worry was measured in separate July and August 2020 surveys,when the pandemic was still in its earlier stages and before a vaccine had been developed. The low point was 17% in June 2021, when cases were declining and the vaccine was widely available.
After a less optimistic assessment of the COVID-19 situation in the August/September survey, a majority of Americans, 53%, once again see the situation as getting better. Thirty-two percent say the situation is not changing, and 15% believe it is getting worse.
Still, Americans are not as positive as they were earlier this year, when 71% thought the situation was improving.
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An analysis of the data shows that Americans who are more concerned about getting COVID-19, personally, or believe the situation is worsening in the country, are more likely to have gotten vaccinated or to plan to get vaccinated.
Forty-two percent of those who are worried about getting COVID-19 have gotten the new shot, compared with 34% who are not too worried and 15% who are not worried at all. All told, 73% of those who are worried have gotten vaccinated or plan to, compared with one in four among those who are not worried at all about getting the coronavirus.
Similarly, 42% who think the COVID-19 situation is getting worse have already gotten the updated shot, compared with roughly a quarter of those who think the situation is improving or not changing.
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Americans seem to be heeding public health officials recommendation to get annual flu shots to a greater degree than they are complying with their advice to get the latest COVID-19 vaccine. This may reflect lessened worry about the COVID-19 situation as it pertains to them personally and to the country more broadly. Gallup did not ask respondents about their concern with getting the flu or their assessment of the flu situation in the U.S., so it is not possible to know if greater levels of flu vaccination stem from greater worry about the flu situation than the COVID-19 situation. Greater rates of flu vaccination may reflect that that procedure is more of an established routine for Americans than getting annual COVID-19 shots.
To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on X.
Learn more about how the Gallup Panel works.
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A preprint on a Yale-based study described chronic symptoms self-reported after COVID-19 vaccination by 241 members of an online group. The paper, which has not been peer-reviewed, did not show how common these symptoms are in the general population, nor whether vaccinations caused them limitations popular online posts did not make clear.
Some peopleexperienceside effects following COVID-19 vaccination, but they are generally short-lived. There are well-established serious side effects that can occur due to COVID-19 vaccination, such asmyocarditis, but these are rare.
COVID-19 vaccinationlowersthe risk of severe disease and death from COVID-19. Among people who get COVID-19, those who are vaccinated may have areducedrisk of developing long COVID.
Apreprintof a study posted online Nov. 10 described symptoms and other characteristics of 241 members of an online group who reported that they thought the vaccine had injured them, referring to COVID-19 vaccines. The authors described this group of patients as having reported post-vaccination syndrome. Preprints are drafts of papers posted online that have not yet been peer-reviewed or published in scientific journals.
As wevewrittenpreviously, a voluntary survey cannot be used to determine whether vaccines are safe, nor can it provide a representative look at peoples experiences, positive or negative, after vaccination.
In the study, we are describing the experience of people who have a chronic syndrome that begins soon after the COVID-19 vaccination, co-authorDr. Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist and scientist at Yale University, told us via email. Since we do not know the cause, we labeled it a post-vaccination syndrome. We described it like that because thats the timing of it.
The participants, who were predominantly white women, reported various symptoms that they believed resulted from vaccine injury, most commonly exercise intolerance, excessive fatigue, numbness, brain fog and neuropathy. They said their symptoms started a median of three days after getting vaccinated, and they filled out the survey a median of 595 days after vaccination.
Online posts may give the misleading impression that researchers have determined that the COVID-19 vaccines caused a new syndrome. Its Called Post-Vaccine Syndrome And Its Real! reads the text accompanying an episode of the Jimmy Dore Showpostedon Facebook by the shows account. Jimmy Dore, who hosts the eponymous web show, has a history of making misleading or false statements aboutvaccinationandothertopics.
To be clear, the preprint assigns the label post-vaccination syndrome to patients self-reported symptoms, but it does not establish the causes of the symptoms or their prevalence among vaccinated people.
In the episode, Dore replayed a popularvideopreviously posted on YouTube by nurse educator John Campbell, who also has ahistoryof spreading misinformation about vaccines. Campbell opened his video by welcoming his audience and saying, Researchers from Yale in the United States have identified a post-vaccine syndrome occurring after the COVID vaccinations. He did not clarify that the syndromeis a collection of symptoms that were not necessarily caused by the vaccines.
Campbell went on to give AIDS as another example of a syndrome, without stating that AIDS is now a well-characterized disease with a clear cause, while post-vaccination syndrome is a loosely defined phenomenon whose cause or causes are unclear.
He then listed percentages of participants in the study who reported each symptom, without making clear that these numbers did not mean a high proportion of all vaccinated people would experience the symptoms.
Physician-scientists who were not involved in the study emphasized what it cannot show.
We cannot draw conclusions about the causation of the symptoms reported in this study based on the study design,Dr. Linda Geng, an internal medicine doctor andco-director of the Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome Center at Stanford University, told us in an email. Vaccines can be life-saving and it is important that we remember their benefits for public health and the broader population as we continue to research and better understand their potential complex effects in subsets of individuals.
The results of the preprint would only potentially (if peer-reviewed and published) be applicable to patients who self-identify as having post-vaccination syndrome, Dr. Alan Kwan, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai, told us in an email. It should not be extrapolated to any other groups including all vaccination patients, and does not address any questions of mechanism, or causality.
Dr. Jennifer Frontera, a neurocritical care specialist at NYU Langone Health, expressed doubt that COVID-19 vaccinations caused the symptoms described in the preprint. She described the results of her ownresearchinto neurological events after vaccination, which only showed rare links between the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and neurological conditions. Peoples symptoms are real, right? But they are probably related to something else, she said.
The study participants were all members of an online support and research community for people affected by COVID-19, calledKindred. Krumholz co-founded a company that developed software used in the Kindred platform to help people share their medical records.
The first users of the platform were people with long COVID, Krumholz explained, and the community subsequently was expanded to include those who were reporting a chronic syndrome that they associated with vaccination. He added that the two groups of patients were experiencing very similar symptoms, and the challenges that they were facing were also similar. TheLISTEN study, some of which was described in the preprint, includes both of these groups of patients.
Survey questions prompted the participants to consider whether they had around 100 different health conditions as a result of vaccine injury. The most common problems attributed to vaccination reported in half or more of the participants were exercise intolerance, excessive fatigue, numbness, brain fog, neuropathy, insomnia, palpitations, muscle or body aches, tinnitus or humming in ears, headache, burning sensations, and dizziness.
In this study, individuals who reported [post-vaccination syndrome] after covid-19 vaccination had low health status, high symptom burden, and high psychosocial stress despite trying many treatments, the researchers concluded in the preprint. There is a need for continued investigation to understand and treat this condition.
The researchers ultimately plan to analyze not only data on symptoms and medical history, but also some blood and saliva samples.
We are planning studies that will correlate what people are experiencing with biological signals that may indicate some underlying cause, Krumholz said. There are so many questions. Many of these people have been dismissed by the healthcare system. We are continuing to try to find answers.
Krumholz indicated that the definition of the syndrome is a work in progress. If I were to put forth the definition, I would say that it should be a syndrome that begins within a week of the vaccination and persists for over a month. But it would be important to bring people together, including those who were affected, to develop a definition that is useful and acceptable to those affected.
The definition of post-vaccine syndrome is murky and not yet a formal clinical diagnosis, and it is challenging to know who may fall into this category as the scientific knowledge about post-COVID and post-vaccine effects evolves, Geng said.
As the authors point out, a causal link between vaccination and what is called PVS cannot be established from these data, although the reported temporal relationship between vaccination and symptom onset is suggestive, Katherine Yih, an epidemiologist at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, told us in an email. However, she added that the lengthy period between vaccination and filling out the survey might make recall and the timing of symptom onset uncertain.
I just dont like people calling something a syndrome, post-vaccination syndrome, Frontera said. I feel like thats unfortunate, because it really kind of implies causality.
Frontera said that the symptoms described in the paper are often associated with treatable mood disorders, like depression or anxiety. She added that the group reported many preexisting health problems and social stressors, including loneliness and isolation.
Frontera referenced her own work on long-term outcomes after severe COVID-19, which involved conducting phone interviews with patients one year after hospitalization. She found that life stressors within the month prior to the phone interview were associated with prolonged COVID-19 symptoms and generally poor outcomes, such as worse depression, fatigue and sleep.
Geng said that the symptoms reported in the study highly overlap with Long COVID. The researchers excluded people from the study who reported that they had long COVID, Geng said, but it is not always easy to know if the self-categorization is correct.
There is no diagnostic test to determine if someone has long COVID, she explained, and people may get COVID-19 and be unaware of it. Around a third of the study participants reported having had COVID-19 at least once. Depending on the extent of their medical evaluation, it is also possible there are other medical conditions that are causing these symptoms that may be missed or not yet diagnosed, Geng said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have not thus far found evidence of a cluster of chronic symptoms after vaccination similar to those described in the preprint.
The two agencies are aware of reports in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and in the media of a wide range of long-lasting symptoms following COVID-19 vaccination (such as fatigue, headache, and difficulty concentrating), a CDC spokesperson told us in an email, adding that these symptoms have also been reported withlong COVID.
However, to date, no unusual or unexpected patterns of long-lasting symptoms or health problems following vaccination have been linked to vaccination by COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring systems, the spokesperson said.
While some of the symptoms described in the preprint such as fatigue, muscle aches and headache overlap with symptomscommonlyexperienced shortly after vaccination, it is not common for these symptoms to become chronic. Data from theclinicaltrialsfor the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines indicate that common post-vaccination symptoms resolved within days on average. Safety monitoring after the COVID-19 vaccine rolloutcontinuedto indicate that vaccine side effects were generally short-lived.
Still, some researchers left open the possibility that there are yet-undetected vaccine adverse events.
I dont want to impugn the surveillance systems used by the CDC but it is possible that they are missing this syndrome, Krumholz said. What I can say for sure is that there are many people who are suffering from a chronic syndrome that is very debilitating and began after the vaccination. It is possible that it is a coincidence but it is important that we follow the science and discover the cause, wherever that leads us, so we can develop strategies to help these people.
Kwan said in an interview that vaccine safety monitoring databases, such as VAERS, are more easily set up to measure things like myocarditis and less set up to measure symptoms like fatigue or the things that were asked in this survey.
He co-authored astudybased on medical records indicating a possible link between COVID-19 vaccination and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS. POTS symptoms, such as dizziness and palpitations, overlap with those reported in the preprint. Kwans study found that people were more likely to be diagnosed with POTS in the 90 days after vaccination than in the 90 days before vaccination. But it also found a much more pronounced link between POTS and COVID-19,indicatingthat vaccination could still ultimately reduce the risk of POTS even if the link between vaccination and POTS proved to be causal.
I personally believe there are patients out there who had adverse reactions to the vaccine and were likely injured by the vaccine and likely suffer long-term medical symptoms from it, Kwan said. I think its unlikely that its a significant number of patients. It would not discourage me from encouraging people to receive their vaccinations.
Yih co-authored a study using another vaccine safety monitoring system, Vaccine Safety Datalink, to attempt to detect unexpected COVID-19 vaccine adverse events. She said that the study detected a link between the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and conditions such as muscle aches, headache, malaise, fatigue and palpitations but that its difficult to differentiate known, common short-term side effects from long-term problems.
Specially designed studies focusing on [post-vaccination syndrome] will be needed to more fully characterize and understand this outcome and its relationship with vaccination, she said.
The widespread dissemination of vaccineinformation, misinformation and disinformation can influence peoples experiences of vaccine side effects, complicating the study of peoples experiences after vaccination.
Much as the placebo effect can cause someone to experience improvements simply due to the belief they are receiving a medical intervention, a related phenomenon called the nocebo effect can cause people to experience side effects when they have only received a placebo.
Geng pointed to studies that indicatevaccine hesitancy,negative expectations or negative prior experienceswith vaccination can influence the COVID-19 vaccine side effects people have, which she said may be of interest and have some relevance to this topic at hand.
She also cited astudyexploring vaccine side effects in the placebo arms of the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials that found that about a third of participants experienced systemic side effects after each dose. The most common side effects were headache and fatigue.
This was a lower rate of side effects than reported in the people who got a vaccine, but nonetheless indicates a substantial nocebo response, the researchers said. They wrote that headache, fatigue, malaise and joint pain seem to have been particularly associated with nocebo.
On the other side of the coin, narratives about vaccines and the prevalence of anti-vaccine sentiments may also marginalize people who experience health problems following vaccination. These people may be lumped into this general anti-vax sentiment, which I dont think a lot of them are, Kwan said.
Kwan added that its important to acknowledge that there are people who may have symptoms or injuries related to vaccine administration, and that there needs to be a space for them within the medical community to receive meaningful and effective care and to be heard.
Editors note: SciChecks articles providing accurate health information and correcting health misinformation are made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The foundation has no control over FactCheck.orgs editorial decisions, and the views expressed in our articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the foundation.
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Its been confirmed that the mainland U.S. is now home to a disease once thought to only exist in tropical climates, as NPR has reported. Leishmaniasis has joined other diseases in spreading to new places as the warming planet opens up new populations to these diseases.
According to the World Health Organization, there are between 700,000 and one million new leishmaniasis cases a year, almost exclusively in tropical areas of the planet and, until recently, most certainly not in the contiguous United States.
But in 2014, a doctor in central Texas saw a three-year-old patient with unusual bumps on his ear who tested positive for the parasitic disease, per NPR.
I was shocked, said Bridget McIlwee, the doctor who saw the young patient, because in medical school, were taught that this is a tropical disease, something that you see in immigrants, military returning from deployment, people who went on vacation to South America or Asia or Africa.
Following that diagnosis, McIlwee and her colleagues investigated the presence of leishmaniasis in the U.S., publishing their findings in 2018. This led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate, which reinforced those findings, suggesting that the leishmaniasis parasite has likely been present in the U.S. for years.
Leishmaniasis is primarily spread by sand flies. Most of the cases in the U.S. have been reported in Texas, but Texas is the only state that requires reporting of the disease to health authorities, so the actual spread of the disease is hard to track, NPR reported.
According to the WHO, only a small fraction of patients infected by the parasites that cause leishmaniasis will eventually develop the disease. And while there are treatments for leishmaniasis, theyre not without issues, either.
There are several [treatments], but they tend to be pretty severe and people may have side effects, Mary Kamb, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC, told NPR. And if they need to take treatment by mouth, they tend to have a long treatment period of about 28 days.
Theres no effective vaccine against leishmaniasis, and there arent any drugs that people can take to prevent it, she continued, adding that the only things that can help prevent it are wearing clothing that covers the arms and legs and, when traversing an area where there might be sand flies, using insecticide.
Leishmaniasis is the latest disease to have spread to new areas of the world as the planet continues warming. In a recent report, experts predicted that the West Nile virus, historically found in warmer regions, will travel farther and become more common than ever.
That report came on the heels of another study that showed that more areas of the planet are experiencing tropical weather, and that trend will continue.
The warmer temperatures will cause more extreme weather and population shifts, but not just among humans. Plants, mammals, and insects will also find themselves moving farther north than they would have in the past, and with them, diseases new to those areas.
The CDC is raising awareness among clinicians that leishmaniasis is now present in the U.S., despite what they may have been taught in medical school.
Every medical textbook, whether its Dermatology or Principles and Practice of Infectious Disease, teaches that this is a tropical disease, McIlwee told NPR blog Goats and Soda. So theres a huge disconnect between the clinical reality and whats being taught in medical schools.
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The data is clear: Americans arent getting their updated COVID-19 shots. According to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), just 14% of Americans received the updated COVID-19 vaccine as of Nov. 4.
And its not just COVID-19 vaccines that are lagging. The CDC says just 37.5% of American adults have received their flu shot so far. Uptake of the vaccine that prevents RSV is below par, toowith only 15.9% of those older 60 have received an RSV vaccine.
Physicians can help boost those numbers among the majority of patients who are not implacably opposed to vaccination, but who just have not made the effort or who have some questions.
How we talk about vaccines with patients is very individual and its very personal. That is part of the beauty of the personal relationship with patients. The most important thing is bringing it up and having that chance to talk about it and having that chance to give your advice and your recommendation to the patient. And, of course, being open to their questions, said Frederick M. Chen, MD, MPH, the AMAs chief health and science officer.
People do have a choice. They have a decision to make about it, but part of our job is being there at the right time for them and helping them make those decisions, Dr. Chen added.
Internist Marie T. Brown, MD, the AMA's director of practice redesign, discussed strategies during a recent AMA webinar, "Vaccinations: Roadmap for Success."She also joined infectious disease specialist Constance A. Benson, MD, a professor of medicine and global public health at University of California, San Diego, in discussing tips during anAMA video interview in 2021.
Here are 10 key tips for talking with your patients.
Know you are the most trusted information source
Its not the celebrity doctors or doctors sharing information on social media that patients trust for information. Its their local doctor, according to recent research that a group of about a dozen physicians and other health-related organizations, including the AMA, conducted as part of an effort to mitigate the spread of medical misinformation.
Despite the burnout physicians may feel, data shows they can be effective in countering vaccine misinformation. KFF research has found that a person's own physician is the most trusted source for information on the COVID-19 vaccine, with 85% of respondents holding this belief no matter their gender, sex, ethnicity or political belief.
Tell patients they need to get the vaccine
Adult patients say the second biggest reason they don't get an immunization is that a "doctor hasn't told me I need it," previously published research has shown.
Dr. Chen said: As doctors, we know that, but sometimes we forget we have to actually say it and recommend it.
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Understand your patients' concerns
Some patients from historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups may be hesitant because of mistrust in the medical community stemming from their own or loved ones experiences with systemic racism in health care. Physicians should try to build trust, recognizing what has happened so they can then move forward.
Ask why a patient is hesitant
If someone declines the vaccine, you can say, "May I ask why? What have you heard in your community?" It is a less judgmental way to find out what they may be thinking, giving patients the opportunity to give frank voice to concerns they might have while attributing them to others.
Counter any misinformation
People hear and see a lot of misinformation in their social circles and on social media. As a physician, you need to correct any misinformation a patient may give for not getting the vaccine.
Tailor your message
To reach people, no matter their political viewor whether they believe a vaccine is a personal choice or collective responsibilityfocus the discussion on how getting a vaccine can help protect a loved one such as a grandparent, a child or someone who is immunocompromised.
Address patients' fears about side effects
Start a conversation by asking a patient how they felt after their last vaccination. Generally speaking, people tend to have the same reaction they had with the last vaccine, or even a milder reaction than the last one.
Prepare your staff to answer questions
Stay updated with the AMA COVID-19 resource center for physicians, which among other things highlights resources available as part of the Department of Health and Human Services We Can Do This public education campaign to boost confidence in COVID-19 vaccination and reinforce basic prevention measures.
Show your vaccination pride
Everyone in your office who is vaccinated canwear a button or stickershowing they received their updated COVID-19 vaccine, reinforcing to people that the vaccine is safe and that you trust in it.
Tell stories to make impact
The public tends to weigh risks and benefits differently than physicians do, so telling stories that illustrate why the vaccine is important will have a stronger impact on patients.
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Introduction to Mpox
Mpox, also known as Monkeypox, is a relatively rare disease caused by a virus that spreads through close personal contact. It is predominantly found in Africa but has also been detected in other parts of the world. The disease presents a range of symptoms in infected individuals, which may include a rash, fever, headache, muscle pain, low energy, and swollen glands. In some severe cases, mpox can lead to secondary bacterial infections and spread to vital organs including the lungs, eyes, brain, and heart. This article aims to provide informative insights into the symptoms, transmission, and vaccination for mpox, promoting public health awareness and preparedness.
People infected with the mpox virus may experience a wide range of symptoms or only a few. Some individuals may develop flu-like symptoms, rash, and sores, while others may experience fever, lymphadenopathy, headache, backache, and myalgia either before or after the rash appears, or not at all. It is important to seek medical attention if you develop a new or unexplained rash or other symptoms that may be associated with mpox. Most people recover fully within 2 to 4 weeks, although antiviral treatments developed for smallpox may be used to prevent and manage mpox infections.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently confirmed the first cases of mpox caused by the clade I monkeypox virus linked to sexual contact in an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The virus can be transmitted to humans from different wild animals, such as nonhuman primates and rodents, although its natural host reservoir remains unknown. Mpox can also spread through cuts, lesions, and contact with mucous membranes, as well as close contact with an infected person. As the virus is more contagious and causes more severe infections than the Clade II strain, the risk of mpox spreading to neighboring countries and worldwide appears to be significant.
Vaccines are available for both pre- and post-exposure vaccination against mpox. The World Health Organization advises mass vaccination only for those at risk. In the United States, the CDC recommends vaccination for people with risk factors, with two doses of the Jynneos vaccine. Additionally, specific groups of people are eligible to receive pre-exposure vaccine as a two-dose series, with at least 28 days between the first and second doses.
The DRC is currently experiencing a significant increase in the number of reported suspected cases of mpox. The first known cases of sexual transmission of the clade I virus were reported in a small cluster of 5 cases. Meanwhile, the global mpox outbreak, which started in May 2022, is ongoing. As a result, the CDC has issued a Travel Health Notice for travelers to the Congo to minimize contact with ill people, avoid wild animals, and refrain from eating or preparing wild game. The Congo has reported over 12,500 clinically diagnosed cases and nearly 600 deaths suspected to be related to the virus.
Mpox is a serious health concern that requires global attention and awareness. With the ongoing outbreak and the potential for international spread, its crucial to understand the symptoms, transmission methods, and available prevention measures. If you experience any symptoms or have been in contact with infected individuals or animals, it is highly advised that you seek medical attention immediately.
The case was detected in an RT-PCR-positive sample in Thiruvananthapuram district.
Scientists across the world are worried about a new COVID-19 variant that could be more infectious than previous variants. The JN.1 strain of coronavirus has recently been detected in Kerala. The case was detected in an RT-PCR-positive sample from Karakulam in Thiruvananthapuram district of the southern state on December 8. The 79-year-old woman had mild symptoms of Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and has since recovered from Covid. This variant is causing a surge in infections worldwide yet again and raising alarm bells among health authorities.
An Omicron subvariant known as BA.2.86 or Pirola is thought to be the COVID JN.1 variant. The case was first detected in the US in September this year. Seven cases of the specific subvariant were found in China on December 15, according to Reuters. "Even though BA.2.86 and JN.1 sound very different because of the way variants are named, there is only a single change between JN.1 and BA.2.86 in the spike protein," the CDC said in a recent update.
The spike protein, which is referred to as a "spike" because it resembles small spikes on the virus's surface, plays an important role in the virus' ability to infect humans. According to the CDC, vaccinations targeting the spike protein of a virus should also function against JN.1 and BA.2.86.
According to news agency ANI, Senior Consultant in Chest Medicine at Delhi's Ganga Ram Hospital, Dr Ujjwal Prakash, addressed the emergence of this variant and stated that although vigilance is crucial, there is no need for people to panic. "You need to be more vigilant. I don't think that there's reason to panic or do anything extra than just being vigilant," he added.
Fever, runny nose, sore throat, headache, and, in certain situations, minor gastrointestinal problems are among the symptoms that have been recorded in patients so far. The doctor added that most patients experience mild upper respiratory symptoms, which typically improve within four to five days.
"The first way going forward is testing this new variant of COVID if possible, and then we have to see whether they have COVID or any other viral infection. Symptoms are almost very common with other viral infections. They may be slightly more severe. Some patients may have some symptoms more severe than others, but more or less the infection is just like any other viral infection," Dr Prakash told ANI.
"I don't think I would be wise enough to say that the new wave of COVID is coming. It may just pass away like any other viral infection. Let's keep a watch and keep our fingers crossed," he said regarding the emergence of JN.1. He advised people to take precautions by wearing masks and undergoing testing if they detect viral infection symptoms. If symptoms persist, individuals are encouraged to isolate themselves from the general public, the doctor added.
Hospitals and emergency rooms could be forced to ration care by the end of this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Thursday, saying recent trends in COVID-19 and influenza are now on track to again strain America's health care system. The new COVID variant JN.1 is making up an increasing share of cases, the CDC's tracking shows.
"COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising quickly," the agency said in its weekly update. "Since the summer, public health officials have been tracking a rise in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which is caused by COVID-19. Influenza activity is growing in most parts of the country. RSV activity remains high in many areas."
The CDC has been urging people to get vaccinated as the peak of this year's mix of three seasonal respiratory viruses influenza, COVID-19 and RSV is nearing.
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In pediatric hospitals, the CDC says beds "are already nearly as full as they were this time last year" in some parts of the country. Data from emergency rooms published Wednesday tracked emergency room visits nearly doubling in school-age children last week.
The increase, driven largely by an acceleration in flu cases, follows weeks of largely plateauing emergency room figures nationwide ahead of Thanksgiving.
Similar to this time last year, influenza emergency room visits are now outpacing COVID-19 for the first time in months across most age groups. Only in seniors do rates of COVID-19 remain many times higher than influenza.
Nursing homes have seen a steep rise in reported COVID-19 across recent weeks. In the Midwestern region spanning Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, infections in nursing home residents have already topped rates seen at last year's peak.
A new COVID-19 variant called JN.1 has been driving a growing share of the latest wave of infections, officials estimate.
The JN.1 lineage a closely related descendant of the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant that scientists first warned about over the summer was estimated last week in the CDC's projections to make up as much as 29% of infections nationwide. That's up from 8.8% at the end of November.
Health officials have been closely tracking the acceleration of BA.2.86 and its descendants, like JN.1, around the world in recent months. More than 4 in 10 test results from the CDC's airport testing program for international travelers have turned up these strains.
A panel of experts convened by the World Health Organization concluded this month that JN.1's changes were not steep enough to warrant a new revision to this season's vaccines, but acknowledged early data suggesting these shots were less effective at neutralizing the strain.
"CDC projects that JN.1 will continue to increase as a proportion of SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences. It is currently the fastest-growing variant in the United States," the CDC said last week.
"Right now, we do not know to what extent JN.1 may be contributing to these increases or possible increases through the rest of December like those seen in previous years," they wrote.
However, so far the CDC had said that so far JN.1's fast spread does not appear to be leading to any upticks in the severity posed by COVID-19.
As COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses have accelerated in recent weeks, health officials say they have also been closely tracking an unprecedented drop in vaccinations this season.
Data from insurance claims suggest flu vaccinations in adults are around 8 million doses behind vaccination levels seen last year. The CDC's survey data suggests flu shots in children are also down around 5 percentage points from the same time last year.
"Covering the missed volume is going to be very difficult or not possible," vaccine manufacturers concluded at a recent stakeholder meeting with the CDC, according to a readout from the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit.
Health officials have also been urging providers to redouble their efforts to buoy COVID-19 vaccinations this year, especially for those most at-risk of severe disease like seniors.
In nursing homes, just a third of residents and less than 1 in 10 staff are vaccinated with this season's COVID-19 shot.
"We aren't seeing the uptake in vaccines that we would like to see," CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen told doctors at an American Medical Association event Tuesday.
Cohen also cited survey data on uptake of the RSV vaccinations, which were greenlighted for the first time this year in older adults. Around 16% of adults ages 60 and older say they have gotten the shot.
"We acknowledge that is too low and it is one of the reasons we wanted to have this conversation," she said.
Alexander Tin is a digital reporter for CBS News based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. He covers the Biden administration's public health agencies, including the federal response to infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19.
Amid the sudden rise in coronavirus cases, especially due to sub-lineage of BA.2.86 JN.1, in the country, the Singapore Health Ministry issued a fresh advisory to the island nations citizens and travelers, reported Economic Times. The advisory also applies to Indian travelers.
According to the report, the ministry estimated around 56,043 COVID cases in the week of 3-9 December 2023, a rise from 32,035 cases in the previous week.
Though the Singapore government doubts the JN.1 variant for the rise in cases, there is still no clear indication that BA.2.86 or JN.1 are more transmissible. Even clarity on JN.1 causing more severe disease than other circulating variants is absent.
ALSO READ: COVID-19 sub-strain JN.1: Monitoring situation, we should be alert, says Kerala Health Minister Veena George
Meanwhile, the island country's health ministry in its report said that average daily coronavirus hospitalizations rose to 350 from 225 a week earlier.
To battle the disease, the health ministry is collaborating with public hospitals ensuring enough manpower, and deferring non-urgent elective procedures.
Making beds available for urgent cases that require immediate medical attention and utilizing step-down facilities like Transitional Care Facilities and alternative care models like Mobile Inpatient Care are being considered.
Apart from this, the health ministry said, as quoted by ET, that it will be opening a new COVID-19 Treatment Facility (CTF) at Singapore EXPO Hall 10 to provide care for more than 80 stable COVID-19 patients who do not require intensive hospital care.
ALSO READ: China detects 7 infections of COVID subvariant JN.1; is this a variant of concern? Here are the details
In addition, the health ministry requested its citizens, experiencing symptoms of acute respiratory infection (ARI), to stay home until symptoms resolve and avoid contact with others.
The advisory noted that if the interaction is unavoidable, they should wear masks, limit social interactions, and steer clear of crowded places.
Also, the Ministry of Health (MOH) emphasizes the importance of wearing masks in crowded areas.
Among others, the ministry advised travelers to take precautions such as wearing masks at airports, obtaining travel insurance, and avoiding poorly ventilated crowded spaces.
Meanwhile, a specific case of JN.1 was identified in an RT-PCR positive sample from Kerala's Karakulam on 8 December. The patient, who initially tested positive on November 18, 2023, experienced mild symptoms of ILI and has since recovered from COVID-19.
ALSO READ: Covid subvariant JN.1 in Kerala: From symptoms to precautions; here's all you need to know
"No need for any worry. That is a sub-variant (COVID-19 sub-strain JN.1). Two or three months back it was detected in Indians when tested at Singapore airport," state Health Minister Veena George said, appealing to the people to stay vigilant.
"As Kerala's health system is good, we could detect it through genomic sequencing. No need to worry. We are keenly monitoring the situation. But we should be alert. People with comorbidities should be taken care of," she added.
However, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao ruled out the need to restrict movement on the border at present adding that the government has ensured all precautionary measures. Currently, Karnataka reports 58 active cases, with 11 hospitalized and one COVID-related death, compounded by other comorbidities.
The India SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), a network of Genomic Laboratories, has been actively monitoring the genomic aspects of COVID-19 in India.
JN.1 was first detected in September 2023 in the United States
With agency inputs.
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Right now, all eyes are on the new COVID variant JN.1, a heavily mutated new strain that has swept the United States in recent weeks.
JN.1 is now the fastest-growing variant in the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It currently accounts for more than one-fifth of all infections in the U.S.
The HV.1 subvariant is still the dominant strain right now but JN.1 is not far behind. During the two-week period ending on Dec. 9, HV.1 accounted for about 30% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., per the CDCs latest estimates. JN.1 was the second-most prevalent strain, making up about 21% of cases, followed by EG.5.
Scientists are closely monitoring JN.1, which has sparked some concern due to its rapid growth rate and large number of mutations. However, the new variant is closely related to a strain we've seen before. It's a direct offshoot of BA.2.86, aka "Pirola," which has been spreading in the U.S. since the summer.
JN.1 has one more mutation compared to its parent strain BA.2.86, which has more than 30 mutations that set it apart from the omicron XBB.1.5 variant. XBB.1.5 was the dominant strain for most of 2023 and it's the variant targeted in the updated COVID-19 vaccine, TODAY.com previously reported.
All of the most prevalent COVID-19 variants in the U.S. right now aredescendants of omicron, which began circulating in late 2021.
During the last few weeks, JN.1 has beat out many other variants, including its parental strain BA.2.86 as well as EG.5 or Eris, and XBB.1.16 aka Arcturus.
As the U.S. enters the thick of respiratory virus season, some are concerned about whether JN.1 could cause a COVID-19 surge. Others are wondering if it causes different symptoms and how its mutations may affect tests, treatments and vaccines. Here's what experts know about JN.1 so far.
JN.1 was first detected in September 2023 and it has been detected in at least 12 countries so far, including the U.S., according to the CDC. Just like the other newer variants, JN.1 is part of the omicron family.
"Think of (the variants) as children and grandchildren of omicron. They're part of the same extended family, but they each have their own distinctive personalities," Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, tells TODAY.com.
JN.1 descended from BA.2.86, which is a sublineage of the omicron BA.2 variant, TODAY.com previously reported that's what sets JN.1 and BA.2.86 apart from the other prevailing variants like HV.1 and EG.5, which descended from Omicron XBB.
When its parent BA.2.86 emerged, everybody was worried because it had a lot of mutations and looked like it was going to evade a lot of the immunity from vaccines and infection population, says Pekosz. But (BA.2.86) sort of fizzled out, Pekosz adds.
Laboratory data suggest that Pirola is less contagious and immune-evasive than scientists once feared,NBC News reported.
JN.1, however, picked up an additional mutation in its spike protein, says Pekosz. Spike proteins help the virus latch onto human cells and play a crucial role in helping SARS-CoV-2 infect people, per the CDC. This mutation may affect JN'1's immune escape properties, says Pekosz.
"Now it's circulating and growing at a really fast rate compared to other variants, as well as the parent its derived from (BA.2.86), says Pekosz.
In early November, JN.1 accounted for fewer than 1% of COVID-19 cases and now, only several weeks later, it makes up over 20% of cases, Dr. MichaelPhillips, chief epidemiologist at NYU Langone Health, tells TODAY.com.
Its not known whether JN.1 causes different symptoms from other variants, according the CDC.
Right now, theres nothing that says that JN.1 infection is any different from previous COVID variants in terms of disease severity or symptoms, but were paying close attention, says Pekosz.
The symptoms of JN.1 appear to be similar to those caused by other strains, which include:
According to the CDC, the type and severity of symptoms a person experiences usually depends more on a persons underlying health and immunity rather than the variant which caused infection.
While severe infections do still occur, overall (COVID-19) is causing a lot of milder illness, says Schaffner.
Some doctors have reported that upper respiratory symptoms seem to follow a pattern of starting with a sore throat, followed by congestion and a cough, NBC News previously reported.
The virus is adapting. ... I think its getting better at infecting humans and evading pre-existing immunity in the population ... but its not changing symptomology too much, says Pekosz.
At this time, theres no evidence that JN.1 causes more severe infection, the experts note.
One of the things these (omicron variants) have in common is that they are highly contagious, and as new variants crop up, they seem to be as contagious or even more contagious than the previous variants, says Schaffner.
According to the CDC, the continued growth of JN.1 suggests that the variant is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems.
Its probably a little bit more transmissible than its parental virus because weve seen an increase in case numbers that we didnt with (BA.2.86), says Pekosz. However, it is too early to tell how exactly JN.1's transmissibility or immune escape properties compare to other variants, such as HV.1, the experts note.
Many of the newer strains, including JN.1, have another mutation that affects how strongly the spike protein binds to cells in the respiratory tract, says Pekosz. We know that its probably helping the virus become better at replicating and helping the virus evade more of that pre-existing immune response, he adds.
JN.1 does not pose an increased public health risk compared to other variants currently in circulation, the CDC said.
The changes in JN.1 could give it an advantage over other variants, but its unclear how that will affect cases in the coming months. So far, there doesnt seem to be a massive increase in transmission. ... We would be concerned if there was a huge surge in cases, says Pekosz.
Right now, JN.1 is increasing in terms of the percentage of COVID-19 cases its causing, and theres also been a slight increase in total cases," says Pekosz.
Test positivity, an early indicator of case levels, is on the rise, says Phillips the rate increased by 11.5% in the past week, per the CDC. (The CDC no longer tracks the total number of cases in the U.S.).
Hospitalizations have also risen by 13% and ICU admissions by 9% in the last two weeks, according to an NBC News analysis.
"The good news is that as of yet we're not seeing severe disease or hospitalizations going up significantly, and ICU admissions are still very low, but we're going to watch these carefully," says Phillips.
COVID-19 activity was expected to rise around this time as the country enters winter and respiratory virus season, the experts note. In recent years, the virus has followed a pattern of increasing and peaking around new year, according to the CDC.
"Right now, we do not know to what extent JN.1 may be contributing to these increases or possible increases through the rest of December," the CDC said. Only time will tell whether JN.1 or another variant will cause a surge in infections this winter.
All COVID-19 diagnostic tests including rapid antigen tests and PCR tests are expected to be effective at detecting JN.1, as well as other variants, according to the CDC.
Testing is an important tool to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, especially ahead of holiday gatherings, says Schaffner.
The symptoms of COVID-19 are often indistinguishable from those caused by other viruses spreading right now, the experts note. These include respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and rhinovirus, which causesthe common cold.
The experts urge anyone who becomes ill or is exposed to COVID-19 to take a test, especially people at higher risk of severe disease, such as people over the age of 65, who are immunocompromised and who have underlying health conditions.
Every American canorder four free at-home COVID-19 testsfrom the government, which will be delivered by mail via the U.S. Postal Service. To order your free tests, go toCOVIDTests.gov.
"Get tested because, whether it's COVID or flu, we have treatment available," says Schaffner. Current treatments are also expected to be effective against JN.1, the CDC said.
"JN.1 should be just as sensitive to the antivirals available as any other variants," says Pekosz, adding that antivirals like Paxlovid are most effective when taken within the first few days after infection.
The new, updated COVID-19 vaccines, recommended for everyone 6 months and older, are expected to increase protection against JN.1, as well as other variants, the CDC said.
Although the shots target omicron XBB.1.5, which has since been overtaken by HV.1, JN.1, EG.5, and others, there is still evidence that it will protect against new strains circulating this winter,TODAY.com previously reported.
Data from laboratory studies show that the vaccine appears to generate a strong immune response against JN.1's parent strain, BA.2.86, Schaffner notes.
The new vaccines also protect against severe disease, hospitalization and death, the experts emphasize. So even if you get COVID-19 after vaccination, the infection will likely be milder and it can keep you out of the hospital, Phillips adds.
However, uptake of the new vaccine among the U.S. population has been poor so far, the experts say. As of Dec. 8, only about 17% of adults, 7% of children and 36% of adults ages 65 and older have gotten the new vaccine, according to the latest CDC data on vaccination trends.
On Dec. 14, CDC officials issued an alert to warn about low vaccination rates against COVID-19, flu and RSV in the U.S.
Now is the best time to get vaccinated if you haven't already, the experts say. "The sooner you get vaccinated, the sooner you'll be protected and it does take seven to 10 days for protection to build up to the maximum," says Schaffner.
Phillips recommends everyone, especially high-risk individuals, to get the seasonal influenza shot, as well.
"Getting vaccinated is the best present you can give yourself and your family this holiday season," Schaffner adds.
Every day, but especially during respiratory virus season, people can take steps to protect themselves and others from COVID-19.
The experts encourage everyone to:
Caroline Kee is a health reporter at TODAY based in New York City.
