Shawdesh desk:

Another holiday season may be ruined for many across New York State thanks to a new COVID variant that’s better at infection all is now spreading rapidly.

The CDC confirmed a new COVID-19 variant is on the rise.

New COVID Variant Is Spreading

The new variant is called JN.1. Officials confirmed it’s “currently the fastest-growing variant in the United States.”

The CDC believes 15 to 30 percent of all recent COVID cases come from the JN.1 variant.

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Some health officials believe that the new variant will become the dominant strain within a week.

Descends From Omicron, More Contagious

This new variant is another descendant of the Omicron variant, officials say. It’s believed to be more contagious than other forms of COVID.

“The continued growth of JN.1 suggests that it is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune system,” the CDC states. “The rapid growth of JN.1 compared with other variants raises the question of whether this variant might drive an incremental increase in infections.”

No Increased Risk To the Public

The good news, despite the new variant being more contagious, officials don’t think there’s an increased risk.

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“At this time, there is no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health relative to other currently circulating variants, ” the CDC adds. “There is no indication of increased severity from JN.1 at this time. Updated COVID-19 vaccines are expected to increase protection against JN.1, as they do for other variants.”

Symptoms Of New Variant

It’s unclear if the new variant causes different symptoms compared to previous variants, according to the CDC.

“It is not currently known whether JN.1 infection produces different symptoms from other variants. In general, symptoms of COVID-19 tend to be similar across variants,” the CDC said.

The type of symptoms and severity of COVID typically depend on a person’s immunity and overall health rather than which variant causes the infection, officials note.

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Get Vaccinated

COVID cases will likely continue to increase over the next month, officials note.

The CDC reports the past way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated.

“COVID-19 activity is likely to increase over the next month. An updated COVID-19 vaccine can help keep you protected against JN.1 and other variants. It’s a great time to get that vaccine if you haven’t received one this fall,” the CDC adds.