The World Health Organization has classified JN.1 as a variant of concern. A further increase in infections is expected between Christmas and New Year. Pregliasco: Benevolent but immunoevasive
L'World Health Organization (WHO) at the end of November included the Covid JN.1 variant as variant of interest (You). The variant descends from the BA.2.86 lineage, better known as Pirola, and is rapidly spreading particularly in the United Kingdom, the United States, India and China. Based on the available evidence, iThe additional risk to global public health posed by the JN.1 variant currently rated low
– explained theWorld Health Organization in -. Nonetheless, with the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the variant could increase the burden of respiratory infections in many countries.
The JN.1 variant, which first emerged in Luxembourg contains an additional characteristic mutation (L455S) compared to the parent Pirola as well as four other changes in the non-Spike protein. According to the studies conducted so far JN.1 has asignificantly higher infectivity than BA.2.86 and this is why it is expected that there will be new waves of infections between Christmas and New Year and a further increase in reinfections is being observed. To date no changes in symptoms or severity of infections were seenthere are indications that the updated vaccines against the Omicron XBB.1.5 variant, also effective on BA.2.86, do not work on JN.1, but this is an aspect that the WHO is carefully monitoring.
In fact, the WHO recalled that vaccines currently continue to protect against serious diseases and death due to JN.1 and other circulating variants. In any case, it is always advisable to take measures to prevent infections and serious diseases using all available tools, including wearing a mask when in crowded, closed or poorly ventilated areas and maintaining a safe distance from others as much as possible.
Currently JN.1 is the fastest growing variant in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and , accounts for 15-29% of infections. In the UK the variant currently makes up around 7% of positive Covid tests analyzed in a laboratory.
What we notice is that today with JN.1 reinfections increase. I'll give you an example: those who were infected at the end of summer or early autumn, perhaps with Pirola, can also be re-infected again, he explains to Adnkronos Massimo Ciccozzi, head of the Medical Statistics and Epidemiology Unit of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the Bio-Medico Campus of Rome, who signed a study together with Fabio Scarpa of the University of Sassari on the new variant and which will be published shortly in the journal Pathogen and Global Health. The WHO thinks that JN.1, “daughter” of Pirola, spreads faster, but like the other variants, explains Ciccozzi. It is no longer contagious, but has a mutation (L445S) located in the region of the Pirola mutation – he specifies – a risk of immunological escape. Therefore it must be monitored and followed well, so as not to be more aggressive than the previous Omicron variants. JN.1 does not have heavy pathogenicity. benevolent, but immunoevasivetherefore of mild cases which, however, precisely for this reason fuel the chain of infections he explains Fabrizio Pregliasco, virologist at the University of Milan. The experts' invitation is always to protect the most fragile with vaccines, which must be repeated because protection decreases as the months pass.
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December 20, 2023 (modified December 20, 2023 | 7:18 pm)
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