New Covid-19 variant JN. 1, detected in Australia, spikes in the US ahead of Christmas
A troubling new Covid-19 subvariant is on the rise just in time for the Christmas, officials have warned.
A troubling new Covid subvariant that has been detcted in Australia is on the rise just in time for the holidays, officials have warned.
The JN. 1 subvariant stemming from the Omicron variant that surged in early 2022 — is “rapidly increasing globally,” the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Tuesday.
JN. 1 is causing about 20 per cent of new coronavirus infections in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated.
The variant evolved from BA. 2.86, a descendant of the Omicron variant that made headlines over the summer when scientists worried it might mutate beyond the capacity of vaccines and antibodies, CNN reported.
According to the CDC, JN. 1 was first identified in the United States in September. The body says the variant is now the “fastest-growing” in the US.
China detected seven infections of the Covid-19 subvariant last week and, according to modelling from the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data, JN. 1 has been detected in Australia since mid-October.
JN. 1 has only one change to its spike protein compared to BA. 2.86, but seems to be a faster-moving virus, the outlet explained.
The prevalence of JN. 1 in the US has more than doubled since late November, the CDC estimated — which may have something to do with the onset of the holiday travel craze.
“When I just look at the growth curve, it is rising quite sharply, and it seems to coincide with the Thanksgiving break in terms of timing,” Dr. Shishi Luo, the head of infectious diseases for the genomic sequencing company Helix, told CNN.
Despite concerns about JN. 1’s spread, experts said the disease’s severity is not necessarily worse.
“While there is a rapid increase in JN. 1 infections, and likely increase in cases, available limited evidence does not suggest that the associated disease severity is higher,” the WHO explained.
The CDC said there is no indication that JN.1’s symptoms differ from general Covid ailments — including fever, chills, difficulty breathing, congestion and more.
The growth in JN. 1 cases in the US ahead of the holidays is likely thanks to waning immunity, according to experts.
The mutation on the variant’s spike is in a position that seems to help it escape the body’s immunity, Dr. T. Ryan Gregory, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, told CNN.
Studies from Columbia University and in China indicated a twofold decrease in the ability of the human body’s antibodies to neutralise the subvariant.
As of December 9, only around 18 per cent of adults in the US received the latest Covid vaccine round, the CDC added.
The organisation is calling on medical professionals to work harder to ensure their patients receive all rounds of the vaccine.
“Fewer people are getting the booster, and fewer people are getting Paxlovid,” Dr. Alex Greninger, assistant director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at the University of Washington, told US media.
“There was a lot of work to get those vaccines and get those drugs available, so it’s just extra sad when those tools aren’t being used,” he said.
The troubling surge in the JN. 1 variant comes amid a spike in respiratory illnesses in New York City and beyond — as well as a 30 per cent jump in Covid-related hospitalisations.
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