This wave is already 25% above last winter's (which *was* the 2nd highest of the ongoing pandemic), & infection rate is still rising.

*lagging indicators* are also spiking acc to CDC:

#COVID hospitalizations: "up more than 20% week over week"

COVID-related deaths & ER visits: both up "roughly 13%"

#JN1 "skyrocketed" in Dec

“This is what happens [when] a new, hyper-mutated strain…picks up a critical added mutation, giving it huge growth advantage”- Dr. @erictopol
https://fortune.com/well/2024/01/05/us-reachest-second-highest-covid-peak-pirola-jn1-omicron-pi-rho/?s=09

Highly mutated COVID variant ‘Pirola’ JN.1 is fueling the pandemic’s second highest U.S. wave—and it’s still growing

COVID-related ER visits, hospitalizations, and deaths are also on the rise.

^{Erin Prater (Fortune)}