American health authorities have announced an increase in cases of infection with the JN.1 submutant of the Coronavirus in the United States and the world recently. What do we know about this variant so far?
The new mutant appeared last August, according to the World Health Organization, and is a branch of the original Omicron variant.
The JN.1 variant is descended from BA.2.86, and has caught the attention of virologists because it contains many more mutations that can evade immunity than any other circulating variant.
And late last year, Classified by the World Health Organization JN1 is designated as a “mutant of interest”.
The organization said that the submutant has been reported in many countries, after it spread rapidly globally, and now represents the majority of BA.2.86 cases.
It is expected that it will cause an increase in cases, amid an escalation in viral infections with the entry of the winter season.
On January 5, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the JN1 variant represents about 62 percent of infections in the United States as of January 5. She added that the mutant is now the most common type in the United States, Europe, and the world, and infection rates are rising sharply in Asia.
The centers announced that hospital admissions due to Covid-19 disease increased by 20.4 percent during the week ending December 30.
But she explained that there is currently no evidence that this variant causes more serious symptoms, noting that current vaccines are sufficient for protection.
A few days ago, the World Health Organization’s global director, Tedros Ghebreyesus, revealed that 10,000 deaths from Covid were reported last December, and admissions to hospitals and intensive care units rose.
The UN official warned in a press conference: “Although Covid-19 no longer represents a global health emergency, the virus is still spreading, mutating and killing,” according to a report published by the Washington Post.
According to the American research website Futurity, the new mutant has acquired the ability to transmit infection due to new mutations.
The manner of infection and symptoms are similar to previous Omicron cases, and it does not appear to cause serious symptoms, and there is some indication that it causes more diarrheal symptoms.
The main symptoms remain the same, which are cough, fever or chills, body aches, congestion, loss of smell and taste, sore throat and fatigue.
Current Covid tests can detect the virus, available vaccines can also deal with severe cases, and antiviral drugs can still treat infection, but these vaccines and drugs must only be used more effectively.
But it does not seem that the old vaccines that rely on variables other than those currently in place are sufficient to deal with this mutant, and immunity against the virus as a result of these vaccinations fades over time, so a new vaccine must be obtained, just as happens when we obtain new vaccines against… Influenza virus with virus mutation.
While the JN.1 mutant has a number of mutations that help it evade immunity, studies suggest that new vaccines actually increase the amount of antibodies that can recognize it, and are still effective in protecting against severe cases.
Last year, President Joe Biden ended the national health emergency declared due to Covid, under which, for more than three years, exceptional support was provided to the health system.
Despite this measure, the Biden administration announced that it is working on a next-generation vaccine and other measures to combat any future Covid variant.
2024-01-21 13:51:54
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