CBS News
COVID variant JN.1 now more than 90% of cases in U.S., CDC estimates
Close to all new COVID-19 cases in the United States are now being caused by the JN.1 variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, with an estimated 93.1% of infections now blamed on the highly mutated strain.
The CDC’s latest biweekly estimate of the variant’s spread was published Friday. It comes as key trends reflecting COVID-19’s spread are now showing signs of slowing, following a peak over the winter holidays.
“Several key indicators are showing decreasing levels of activity nationally,” the agency said Friday in its weekly respiratory viruses report.
Only the South has seen trends of the virus rise in wastewater over recent weeks, according to the CDC’s tally through Feb. 1.
Most parts of the country are also seeing steep slowdowns in COVID-19 cases diagnosed in emergency rooms, except in the South where trends now appear to have roughly plateaued in some states.
The agency also published new data Thursday from its pharmacy testing program that suggests this season’s updated COVID-19 vaccines had 49% effectiveness against symptomatic JN.1 infection, among people between two to four months since they got their shot.
“New data from CDC show that the updated COVID-19 vaccines were effective against COVID-19 during September 2023 – January 2024, including against variants from the XBB lineage, which is included in the updated vaccine, and JN.1, a new variant that has become dominant in recent weeks,” the CDC said in a post on Thursday.
CDC officials have said that other data from ongoing studies using medical records also offered “early signals” that JN.1’s severity was indeed not worse than previous strains. That is a step beyond the agency’s previous statements simply that there was “no evidence” the strain was causing more severe disease.
The CDC’s new variant estimates mark the culmination of a swift rise for JN.1, which had still made up less than half of infections in the agency’s estimates through late December.
Some of the earliest samples of the strain in the global virus database GISAID date back to August, when cases of JN.1 – a descendant of an earlier worrying variant called BA.2.86 – showed up in Iceland and Luxembourg.
By the end of September, at least 11 cases had been sequenced in the U.S., prompting renewed concern that BA.2.86 had picked up changes that were accelerating its spread around the world.
The World Health Organization stepped up its classification of JN.1 to a standalone “variant of interest” in mid-December, citing the variant’s rapid ascent. Health authorities in the U.S. have declined to do the same, continuing to lump the strain in with its BA.2.86 parent.
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CBS News
$100 million in federal funds released for North Carolina to rebuild roads, bridges damaged by Helene
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation released $100 million in emergency funds on Saturday for North Carolina to rebuild its roads and bridges damaged by Helene.
“We are providing this initial round of funding so there’s no delay getting roads repaired and reopened, and re-establishing critical routes,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement. “The Biden-Harris administration will be with North Carolina every step of the way, and today’s emergency funding to help get transportation networks back up and running safely will be followed by additional federal resources.”
The storm caused rampant flooding that has devastated several towns and killed more than 225 people – with CBS News confirming at least 114 people killed in North Carolina. There was more than 8 inches of rain across the western North Carolina mountains, with some areas seeing more than a foot.
Hundreds of roads across Western North Carolina remain closed, leading to an increase in air traffic as teams scour the region for survivors by air. Air traffic over Western North Carolina has increased by 300% due to relief efforts since the storm cleared, the Federal Aviation Administration and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Mudslides blocked Interstate 40 and other highways in North Carolina and about 400 roads were closed due to damage from Helene. Interstate 40 was damaged at several locations, the Department of Transportation said.
President Biden visited the Carolinas on Wednesday, surveying the flood damage by air from Greenville, South Carolina, to Asheville, North Carolina. Mr. Biden announced the federal government would cover “100%” of all debris removal and emergency protective measure costs in North Carolina for six months.
The Department of Transportation said these relief funds will allow the North Carolina Department of Transportation to act more quickly to fund eligible repairs to their damaged facilities.
Li Cohen and
contributed to this report.
CBS News
Tropical Storm Milton forms in Gulf; forecast to strengthen into hurricane headed toward Florida
Tropical Storm Milton has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane headed toward Florida with possible impacts to its western coast, the National Hurricane Center said on Saturday. Maximum sustained winds are expected to be at 40 mph with higher gusts and Milton is currently moving north-northeast, NHC said in an advisory.
Milton is forecast to undergo a period of rapid intensification before it makes landfall as a Category 2 hurricane across Florida’s west coast, CBS News Miami reported.
The forecast comes a little more than a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida and across the Southeast, killing more than 200 people and causing immense destruction. President Biden on Thursday took an aerial tour of Florida’s Big Bend where Helene struck as a Category 4 storm. Hundreds of people are still missing and Mr. Biden said the work to rebuild will cost “billions of dollars” as communities suffer still without power, running water and passable roads.
NOAA
Milton is forecast to move across the southwestern Gulf of Mexico through Sunday night then across the south-central Gulf on Monday and Tuesday before reaching Florida’s west coast by the middle of the week, NHC said. Heavy rain is possible in the region starting Sunday into Monday, CBS Miami reported, and more rain and heavy winds will most likely arrive on Wednesday. Hurricane and storm surge watches will most likely be required for portions of Florida starting Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said.
Along with the heavy rainfall, the hurricane center said to expect risks of flooding.
Residents in the area should ensure they have a hurricane plan in place, the National Hurricane Center said, follow the advice of local officials and check back for forecast updates.
