New Italian study analyzes Sars-CoV-2 JN.1 variant
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently classified the Sars-CoV-2 JN.1 variant as a ‘variant of interest’ (Voi) separate from the BA.2.86 lineage, also known as Pirola. A new Italian study, set to be published in ‘Pathogen and Global Health‘, has now analyzed the JN.1 variant, shedding some light on its characteristics.
According to the study, the data processed shows that the JN.1 variant must be closely followed and monitored, but it is not more worrying than the other variants seen in recent months. 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 the work together with Fabio Scarpa of the University of Sassari, explained that reinfections are on the rise with the JN.1 variant.
Ciccozzi stated, “The WHO thinks that JN.1, the ‘daughter’ of Pirola (BA.2.86), spreads faster, but instead it is like the other variants. And she is no longer contagious, but she has a mutation (L445S) located in the region of the Pirola mutation-precisa-at risk of immunological escape. Therefore it must be monitored and followed well, but it is not more aggressive than the previous Omicron variants.”
The study’s findings have raised questions about the potential impact of the JN.1 variant in the coming weeks. While the analysis offers some relief, it also highlights the need for continued vigilance and monitoring as Covid continues to try to force its way back into our lives.