The new JN.1 variant, which was only discovered in the USA in September, is spreading more and more. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), data from the Gisaid scientific initiative shows that it now dominates the infection process in many countries.
In Germany, according to the current weekly report from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), their share is already 53 percent. However, the numbers are not very reliable because, on the one hand, many people no longer have themselves tested and only a few reported cases are examined for the variant.
Great Britain fears record infection numbers because of Juno
In Great Britain, where JN.1 is also known as Juno, the variant caused a sharp increase in the number of infections in a very short period of time. As “ Mirror ” reports, the proportion of the variant shot from four to 65 percent in the country within a few weeks. Some experts now fear that JN.1, combined with the holidays and the many indoor family gatherings, could bring the country to record levels of infection in about a week.
“We can assume that the number of infections caused by JN.1 is increasing due to the cold weather and the end of the school holidays,” says virologist Lawrence Young to the Mirror. “More infections meant more missed work and more hospital cases due to Corona,” emphasizes Young.
No more severe disease progression with JN.1, but still treacherous
Along with other seasonal illnesses such as flu, norovirus and RSV, experts say JN.1 could contribute to even greater strain on the healthcare system. According to the Mirror, the number of Covid patients who need to be treated in hospital has increased significantly in the last few weeks.
Although there is currently no evidence that JN.1 causes more severe disease, this virus should not be taken lightly. “While it is reassuring that we have no evidence that JN.1 causes more severe infections, the fact that the variant is dominant means that the burden on healthcare is higher than if the variant did not exist,” led Rowland Kao from the University of Edinburgh at “inews”. Their high contagiousness and rapid spread make them so treacherous.
More than 100,000 Long Covid diseases are feared in the next few weeks
Due to the increasing numbers, the UK Health Service Agency warned that more than 100,000 people could become ill with Long Covid in the coming weeks, the Mirror reports.
Doctors continue to warn that any variant, especially in risk groups such as older people, people with previous illnesses and people with weak immune systems, can trigger a serious course of the disease and even be fatal.
Three rather unusual symptoms of JN.1
Virologists initially did not assume that JN.1 was causing new symptoms. But now there are indications that Juno could definitely cause certain complaints. As the latest data from the British Office for National Statistics shows, some people infected with Corona have recently reported
Sleep problems and
anxiety states.
As experts report on the “X” (formerly Twitter) platform, JN.1 could also become increasingly popular
lead. The reason: According to experts, this variant is preferred Cleavage-resistant ACE-2 receptors, which are found in the small intestine but rarely in the lungs. Intestinal infections have occurred in addition to respiratory infections since the beginning of the pandemic, but virologist Friedemann Weber also believes that it is conceivable that JN.1 would have increased activity in this regard. “An increased infection of the gastrointestinal tract could cause the extremely high Sars-CoV-2 infection. Explain quantities in wastewater samples,” says the virologist. A few weeks ago these were higher than ever before.
Infected people also report new symptoms at Pirola
Pirola (BA.2.86), the variant from which JN.1 developed and from which it only differs in a further mutation in the spike protein, was already noticeable due to rather unusual symptoms. That came with the „Zoe Covid Symptom Study“ in Great Britain, in which more than four million infected people continually document their symptoms of illness using an app. Like the British portal „ChronicleLive“ reported, it can happen at Pirola
rash changes in the mouth or tongue (called Covid tongue), such as swelling in the mouth and ulcers on the tongue or inside of the mouth and lips red and sore fingers or toes a hoarse voice itchy or red eyes
come.
Basically, the following symptoms are among the most common of all corona variants:
Headaches Fatigue Body aches Runny or stuffy nose Sore throat Sneezing Cough Possibly impaired sense of smell and taste
Do the current corona vaccines protect against JN.1?
However, no one currently believes it is possible that the new virus variant will actually bypass the vaccines. According to the CDC in the USA, existing data has shown that the current vaccines help the immune system block Pirola (BA.2.86). The authority therefore assumes that this is also the case with JN.1.