A worrying new subvariant of COVID is surging just in time for the holidays, officials warned.
The JN.1 subvariant, arising from the Omicron variant that emerged in early 2022, is “rapidly increasing globally,” the World Health Organization (WHO) stated on Tuesday.
JN.1 is causing about 20 percent of new coronavirus infections in the United States, 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 were concerned it could mutate beyond the capacity of vaccines and antibodies, CNN reported.
JN.1 has only one change in its spike protein compared to BA.2.86, but it appears to be a faster-moving virus, the outlet explained.
The prevalence of JN.1 in the United States has more than doubled since late November, the CDC estimated, which may have something to do with the start of the holiday travel craze.
The CDC has released worrying statistics about the JN.1 variant. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
“If I just look at the growth curve, it’s going up quite a bit and it seems to coincide with the Thanksgiving break in terms of timing,” Dr. Shishi Luo, head of infectious diseases at genomic sequencing company Helix, told CNN. .
Despite concerns about the spread of JN.1, the severity of the disease is not necessarily worse, experts said.
“While there is a rapid increase in JN.1 infections and a likely increase in cases, the limited evidence available does not suggest that the severity of the associated disease is greater,” the WHO explained.
The increase in cases appears to correlate with the holidays. fake images
There is no indication that the symptoms of JN.1 differ from general COVID ailments, such as fever, chills, shortness of breath, congestion and more, the CDC said.
The rise in JN.1 cases in the United States before the holidays is likely due to waning immunity, experts say.
The mutation in the variant’s spike is in a position that appears to help it escape the body’s immunity, Dr. T. Ryan Gregory, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, told CNN.
Only about 18 percent of American adults have received the latest COVID booster dose. Christopher Sadowski
There has also been a roughly twofold decrease in the ability of the human body’s antibodies to neutralize the subvariant, studies from Columbia University and China indicated.
As of Dec. 9, only about 18 percent of U.S. adults had received the latest round of COVID vaccines, the CDC added.
The organization is asking medical professionals to work harder to ensure their patients receive all rounds of the vaccine, CNN reported.
JN.1 is the fastest growing variant in the US AFP via Getty Images
“Fewer people are getting the booster and fewer people are getting Paxlovid,” Dr. Alex Greninger, deputy director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at the University of Washington, told the outlet.
“There was a lot of work to get those vaccines and get those medications available, so it’s very sad when those tools aren’t used,” he said.
The concerning rise of the JN.1 variant comes amid a rise in respiratory illnesses in New York City and beyond, as well as a 30 percent increase in COVID-related hospitalizations.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn