ph. Lightspring/Shutterstock Suman Majumdar, Burnet Institute; Brendan Crabb, Burnet Institute; Emma Pakula, Burnet Institute, and Stuart Turville, UNSW Sydney Since it was detected in August 2023, the JN.1 variant of COVID has spread widely. It has become dominant in Australia and around the world, driving the biggest COVID wave seen in many jurisdictions
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide since December 2019. Up to July 2022, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 570 million people and contributed to the death of more than 6.4 million individuals around the world. Intriguingly, after more than
This article is part of a series of explainers on vaccine development and distribution. Learn more about vaccines – from how they work and how they’re made to ensuring safety and equitable access – in WHO’s Vaccines Explained series. All viruses – including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 – evolve over time.