Victoria in midst of double COVID-19 wave amid JN.1 variant surge
The rapid spread of the JN.1 variant has plunged Victoria into a double COVID-19 wave, according to health authorities.
The new variant, a sublineage of BA.2.86, has sparked a second surge of infections and the highest number of hospitalisations with coronavirus in the state within a six month period.
According to the latest COVID-19 surveillance report from Victoria’s Department of Health, an average of 377 people were hospitalised with the virus, an increase since the early December peak of 326 cases in hospital.
Chief health officer Dr Clare Looker told The Age the state was only beginning to emerge from an earlier COVID-19 wave when JN.1 infections spiked.
“Rather than a lull or a return to baseline between waves, we’ve had a bit of a wave-on-wave pattern,” Looker said.
“Part of the concern with this new variant has been the speed with which it’s taken off. So over a few weeks, we’ve really seen it very quickly be the dominant variant in the community.”
In its January report, the department noted, the rapid growth of JN.1 cases over the last month, with the strain now the most prevalent subvariant in Victoria.
“The latest quantitative wastewater measures indicate high COVID-19 viral loads in Victorian wastewater,” the report reads.
“Metropolitan wastewater catchments have shown increased levels, while regional quantitative wastewater levels remain high.”
Despite an increase in COVID-19 hospitalisations, deaths in Victoria have declined since in the 28 days to December 19, compared to the prior 28-day period.
A total of 168 deaths were attributed to the virus between November 22 and December 19, although the report noted a two-week lag in the reporting period.
