JN.1 Covid Variant: A new strain of coronavirus has been detected by researchers. Named JN.1, this new Covid variant has already spread to countries such as the US, UK and parts of Europe. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the development. In its regular bulletin in the last week of October, the US CDC mentioned this new strain of Covid-19.
The development has triggered fresh fear among scientists across the world. While researchers say that it’s too early to comment on the severity and transmission rate of JN.1 Covid variant, the potential of it causing new wave of infection can’t be ruled out.
The path of mutation
The new variant – JN.1 is said to be linked to the Omicron family of coronavirus. Descendant of Pirola variant, JN.1 is not very common in the United States at present. US CDC says that it is still in very rare stage in terms of its geographic reach. The only critical change between Pirola and JN.1 is the spike protein.
Apart from US, the JN.1 variant is infecting people at very fast rate in European nations such as France, Spain, Iceland among others. Experts say that since JN.1 is the direct descendant of BA.2.86, it may be more transmissible than its parent variant.
Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is calling on the British population to “boost their immunity for winter” in anticipation of an expected increase in flu and Covid-19 cases during the upcoming season. UKHSA, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, is actively promoting vaccination among the most at-risk individuals. As of now, there is no official confirmation regarding the presence of the JN.1 Covid variant in India.