The COVID variant that now accounts for almost every case in NSW – Sydney Morning Herald

The latest NSW Health respiratory surveillance report released on Thursday shows the JN.1 variant now accounts for almost all COVID-19 cases in NSW.

The World Health Organisation reported last week that nearly all circulating COVID variants were derived from JN.1, and recommended future vaccine formulations should target the variant that has rapidly displaced all others since it was first declared a variant of interest in December.

While those updated vaccines may be available for the northern-hemisphere winter, Deakin University epidemiologist Professor Catherine Bennett said it was more likely to be the vaccine Australians get next year or in six months time.

The point is, dont wait for this next magic booster, she said. Its good to see weve got this capacity now to keep monitoring whats happening with the virus [variants] but ... for now, the main focus is to try and get ahead of a wave with your vaccination to give yourself time before your exposure risk goes up in the community.

Bennett said current vaccines still worked well but a monovalent immunisation () would be more effective at creating an antibody response to the virus and any future variants that evolve from it.

It becomes more like the annual flu shot where we try and build our vaccines to be closest to the circulating strains, Bennett said. You just want to try and get the greatest effectiveness you can from your vaccines particularly for people who are really still relying on vaccine-induced immunity as their main protection.

Associate Professor Stuart Turville, a virologist at Sydneys Kirby Institute, said the pace at which JN.1 had spread and evolved to better evade the bodys immune system showed it would be difficult to predict what future variants should be targeted by new vaccines.

By the time we get it [a monovalent JN.1 vaccine], theres going to be another variant, and that will be a bit different again, he said.

Turville said older vaccines shouldnt be ignored when updated versions come out as its important we build a broad response across multiple variants.

I agree with the approach, we should change it over time but I think sometimes the vaccine thats available to you still does a pretty good job, he said. Just because one vaccine is the new beaut thing on the market, it doesnt always turn out that its the one that reacts best to the thing thats circulating in the future.

Overall COVID cases remain well down on the mid-January peak, falling by 9 per cent in NSW in the past week. The trend is reflected in emergency department visits and NSW Healths sewage surveillance program.

Cases of the flu rose by 24 per cent over the past week, while there was a 15 per cent decrease in RSV.

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The COVID variant that now accounts for almost every case in NSW - Sydney Morning Herald