All those who are planning holiday gatherings or trips do not want to hear this, but the jump in the number of people infected with the new variant of COVID-19 – JN.1 worries experts, who say it can threaten the current stable situation. This variant has so far been observed in the United States (U.S.) and some European countries, but doctors warn that it is spreading rapidly.
The good news is that recent research shows that the COVID-19 vaccine works against this latest variant. But so few people have received the latest vaccine, less than 16 percent of U.S. adults, that some experts suggest it’s time to appeal to the public to get vaccinated now, so the antibodies can kick in.
What is this subvariant?
JN.1, an omicron subvariant, was first discovered in the U.S. in September and the World Health Organization (WHO) called it a “significant descendant” of the omicron subvariant BA.2.86. When BA.2.86, also known as Pirola, was first identified in August, it looked very different from other variants. This raised concerns that it might be more infectious than previous ones, even for people with immunity from vaccinations and previous infections.
“JN.1 is Pirola’s kid,” Dr. Rajendram Rajnarayanan, Assistant Dean of Research and Associate Professor at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University, which maintains a database of COVID-19 variants. The BA.2.86 variant and descendants are of concern because of mutations, he said.
How widespread is JN.1?
As of November 27th, BA.2.86 is projected to account for 5-15 percent of circulating variants in the U.S.
Currently, JN.1 is reported more often in Europe, Rajnarayanan said, but some countries have better data than others.
When is the peak expected?
While some experts say that the peak of the epidemic due to JN.1 is expected in the coming weeks, Erik Topol, a professor from California and editor of Medscape, says that it is impossible to predict exactly how JN.1 will develop.
“It‘s not going to be a repeat of November 2021, when Omicron surfaced,” Rajnarayanan predicted, N1 reports.
E.Dz.
