Once again, winter has arrived, bringing with it the dual concern of the flu, respiratory illnesses and the looming threat of a new strain of coronavirus to our health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a cautionary warning, indicating that the swift transmission of a highly contagious sub-variant of the coronavirus may necessitate US hospitals to commence preparations for a surge in hospitalisations.

The health agency is expressing apprehension regarding the strain on the US healthcare system, given the compounded effects of COVID-19 and the flu, particularly with the recent emergence of the new JN.1 coronavirus variant.

The CDC has reported a swift rise in COVID-19 hospitalisations. Since the summer, public health officials have been monitoring a surge in pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19. Influenza is on the rise in numerous regions, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity continues to be elevated in many areas.

As per the CDC, in certain regions of the country, children's hospitals are nearly as occupied as they were in the previous year.

At the beginning of this week, emergency room data revealed an almost two-fold increase in the hospitalisation of school-age children compared to the previous week.

The present scenario bears a resemblance to what was observed last year, as flu cases have now surpassed COVID-19 for the first time in months across most age groups. Only in the older age groups does the rate of coronavirus infection remain higher than that of the flu.

Several nursing homes including in the Midwest region, have exceeded last year's records.

The JN.1 variant is beginning to take precedence in the current surge of COVID-19 infections. It is deemed comparable to the BA.2.86 variant, which was emphasized in the CDC projections.

A panel of experts convened by the World Health Organization determined this month that the alterations in JN.1 are not substantial enough to necessitate a revision of the existing vaccines.