NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — At the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, or CHKD, medical professionals are seeing viruses circulate.
Between travel and holiday gatherings, they expect to see a spike of RSV, flu and COVID-19 in the new year.
Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety Dr. John Harrington said the new coronavirus variant, known as JN.1, is spreading fast.
The variant was first detected in the U.S. in September 2023, according to the CDC.
“The continued growth of JN.1 suggests that it is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems,” said the CDC in a press release on Dec. 22.
The virus is super contagious, Harrington said, and individuals don’t have to be experiencing symptoms before they can be contagious. Harrington said he expects this to be the biggest problem people will likely see following the holidays.
“If you have large gatherings, you are likely going to get infected,” said Harrington. “The bigger the gathering the more likely you are going to get infected.”
He said most people will experience mild symptoms.
“You don’t feel that sick, you get a bit of a sore throat, runny nose, headache, tiredness, but not same degree as the flu,” said Harrington.
While the JN. 1 strain may lead to mild symptoms for most, it can impact vulnerable groups. This similarity in symptoms also leads to confusion about what people may have. The variant is also more likely to spread, as it does not go away as quickly as the flu.
Harrington said with JN.1 individuals are contagious for two days before they feel sick. Then, for another 5-6 days after they are sick. Leaving more time for the transmission of COVID.
“We’re probably going to see a surge in the cases of flu and COVID, and that will inundate probably most the urgent cares and EDs [or Emergency Departments],” said Harrington.
For those taking at-home tests, Harrington said a positive can be treated as a positive, but a negative test doesn’t mean someone is in the all clear. It could mean there are not enough antigens, or other factors may be involved.
He encouraged those who have not been vaccinated against flu, RSV or COVID to get them now to protect themselves and others. Harrington also encouraged people to wear a mask to help reduce transmission, make sure to wash their hands and be careful around vulnerable groups.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
