That is the 12 months that the COVID-19 pandemic was declared to be now not a world well being emergency.

However despite the fact that case counts are down in 2023, it isn’t as if every little thing is again to regular. There may be, for instance, a brand new variant that was first detected in late summer time and has unfold considerably in current weeks. It is known as JN.1, and well being officers have now categorized it as a variant of curiosity. And a steadily requested query is:

How anxious ought to we be about JN.1?

Well being officers are usually not sounding the alarm. The World Well being Group says the general threat is low.

Based mostly on the restricted proof, JN.1 appears similar to different circulating Omicron variants and does not seem to trigger extra extreme illness.

COVID vaccines, together with the up to date booster, proceed to supply safety towards extreme sickness and dying. Within the U.S., hospital admissions for COVID-19 have been climbing since early November.

The large questions, answered

There have been different urgent COVID questions in 2023. Listed here are a number of the subjects we tackled, beginning with a quandary about this new part of the pandemic:

‘Emergency’ over! Can we unmask and grin? Or modify our worries?

Is it OK to get a COVID shot and a flu shot and even an RSV shot on the identical time?

How do I keep away from catching COVID whereas flying in 2023?

Why do some individuals get a COVID an infection but present no signs?

A number of posts from years previous drew loads of readers in 2023 as properly:

Are you able to check optimistic for COVID from getting a vaccine/booster?

Does a faint line on a self-test imply I am barely contagious?

Is paxlovid the most effective therapy?