Reduced Likelihood of Hospitalization with the JN.1 or HV.1 SARS-CoV-2 Variants Compared to the EG.5 Variant.
Matthew E LevyVanessa ChilundaRichard E DavisPhillip R HeatonPamala A PawloskiJason D GoldmanCynthia A SchandlLisa M McEwenElizabeth T CirulliDana WymanAndrew Dei RossiHang DaiMagnus IsakssonNicole L WashingtonTracy BaslerKevin TsanJason NguyenJimmy RamirezEfren SandovalWilliam LeeJames LuShishi LuoPublished in: The Journal of infectious diseases (2024)
Within a multi-state viral genomic surveillance program, we evaluated whether proportions of SARS-CoV-2 infections attributed to the JN.1 variant and to XBB-lineage variants (including HV.1 and EG.5) differed between inpatient and outpatient care settings during periods of cocirculation. Both JN.1 and HV.1 were less likely than EG.5 to account for infections among inpatients versus outpatients (aOR=0.60 [95% CI: 0.43-0.84; p=0.003] and aOR=0.35 [95% CI: 0.21-0.58; p<0.001], respectively). JN.1 and HV.1 variants may be associated with a lower risk of severe illness. The severity of COVID-19 may have attenuated as predominant circulating SARS-CoV-2 lineages shifted from EG.5 to HV.1 to JN.1.