![]() “Congestion, sore throat and dry cough seem to be the three most prominent symptoms right now,” says Schaffner. The symptoms caused by infection with HV.1 are similar to those caused by recent variants, says Schaffner, which include: Health officials are monitoring HV.1 closely, but low levels of testing have made it harder to accurately track new variants, experts note. "If there's vast numbers of people getting infected, even if the disease for most people isn't very severe, we will see an uptick in hospitalizations and deaths," says Sampathkumar. What remains unclear is whether HV.1 could cause a major surge in COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks. The recent increase in COVID-19 activity is expected because it has had a pattern of peaking around the late summer and again around the New Year, the CDC said. so it's too soon to draw any conclusions about HV.1 (evading) immunity from prior infection or vaccination," says Sampathkumar.Īlthough it is more transmissible, HV.1 does not appear to produce more severe disease or lead to more hospitalizations, Schaffer says. "The problem is that most people's immunity has faded from past outbreaks and our vaccine uptake is still very low. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, told NBC News. It also appears that HV.1 could also be slightly better at escaping prior immunity to COVID-19, but not enough to cause alarm, Dr. The increased transmissibility of HV.1 likely explains how it became dominant so quickly in the U.S., Schaffner notes. ![]() Right now, it appears that HV.1 could be better at spreading from person to person than previous strains, NBC News reported. Sometimes, mutations can enable a new variant to spread more effectively or quickly, per the CDC. Priya Sampathkumar, infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic, tells. Just like other omicron subvariants, HV.1 is highly transmissible, Dr. “One of the characteristics of this entire omicron family is that they are highly transmissible," says Schaffner. 30, HV.1 made up 12.5% of cases, and by November, it was the dominant strain. In late July, HV.1 accounted for just 0.5% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., CDC data show. By Sept. 8.Īs for HV.1, it rapidly gained steam after it was first detected this past summer. However, there's no evidence that JN.1 is more severe and it does not present an increased public health risk, the CDC said in an update published on Dec. JN.1 is a direct descendent of Pirola with one additional mutation, and it has quickly gained speed in recent weeks, overtaking BA.2.86. These include BA.2.86 or Pirola, which has an extra 36 mutations that differentiate it from XBB.1.5, and a new fast-growing variant called JN.1. However, there are a few highly mutated strains that have set off alarm bells in the past. While HV.1 is mutated, it's still very close to the existing omicron subvariants, Schaffner explains.įor the most part, scientists are not concerned about new variants like HV.1, which look very similar to strains we've already seen before, NBC News reported. We’ve all learned that by now," says Schaffner. “The COVID family of viruses likes to mutate. HV.1 is a sublineage of omicron XBB.1.9.2 and a direct descendent of EG.5, according to the CDC's SARS-CoV-2 lineage tree. “You can almost think of HV.1 as a grandchild of omicron,” says Schaffner. As people travel and gather for the holidays, the virus will have more opportunities to spread.Īs HV.1 continues to spread, many are curious if the new variant is more contagious or severe than previous strains, whether it's causing different symptoms, and when they should get the updated COVID-19 vaccine. ![]() William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, tells. increased by 15.8%, according to an NBC News analysis.ĬOVID-19 infections are expected to keep increasing this winter, as was the case the past three winter seasons, Dr. In the last two weeks, average daily hospitalizations for COVID in the U.S. Experts say the updated COVID-19 vaccines rolled out in September still offer protection against newer variants, including HV.1, but few Americans who are eligible have gotten the shot, previously reported.Īfter a late summer surge then a lull in the fall, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise again around the country.
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