Georgia sees more COVID cases after holiday surge

New COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise in Georgia and across the country after holiday travel and gatherings. Other illnesses have also been climbing. Here’s a look at the latest numbers for Georgia:

› COVID-19 hospitalizations: The number of new COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state totaled 1,047 for the week ending Jan. 6, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is up from 930 during the previous week, marking a 13% jump. Nationally, new COVID-19 hospitalizations increased at a slower rate, up by 3.2% for the week ending Jan. 6.

› COVID-19 deaths: The latest preliminary data on weekly COVID-19 deaths in Georgia show 16 COVID-19 deaths for the week ending Jan. 6. Data from early December, which is considered more reliable, shows about 20 COVID-19 deaths a week in Georgia.

Older adults and those with weakened immune systems are the most vulnerable to severe illness and complications from COVID-19. In Georgia, 70% of new COVID-19 hospitalizations during the week that ended Dec. 30 were in those 60 and older.

The COVID-19 virus is constantly changing and a new variant has been spreading rapidly around the nation. The variant, known as JN.1, is a descendent of omicron. It now represents 86% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to the most recent surveillance from the CDC. It makes up about the same share in the eight-state Southeastern region that includes Georgia.

According to the CDC, the continued growth of JN.1 suggests the variant is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems. However, there is no evidence JN.1 causes more severe illness. Early lab data indicates that the updated vaccines are still effective against it and continuing to provide protection against severe illnesses. The CDC also said they expect the antiviral Paxlovid to continue to be effective against this variant.