Should you be worried about the new JN.1 sub-variant of Covid-19? If yes, how worrisome is it? and if not, when should we consider it a serious concern? One might ponder over these questions as the JN.1 Covid-19 subvariant continues to spread rapidly across regions, and not just India.
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The World Health Organization recently said, "...JN.1 continues to be reported in multiple countries, and its prevalence has been rapidly increasing globally..." This is because the global health body classified JN.1 as a "variant of interest (VOI)".
So, does this mean you should be worried about the new JN.1 sub-variant of Covid-19?
The WHO says more studies are needed to work out the health impact of the JN.1 variant. However, for India, the answer, at least for now, is no. This is because:
1. The infection due to the JN.1 subvariant has been reported to be mild so far. Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former DG, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Thursday that as of now, there's no data to suggest that this variant JN.1 is more severe. "...we don't need to worry because we don't have any data to suggest that this variant JN.1 is more severe or it's going to cause more pneumonia, more death," she said.
2. WHO official Maria Van Kerkhove said all approved Covid-19 vaccines continue to provide protection against severe disease and death. "This includes all of the circulating variants, including JN.1," she said in a video message. The global health body adds that "protection by XBB.1.5 monovalent vaccines are likely to be effective against JN.1".
3. The spread of this variant will unlikely increase the burden on national public health systems compared to other Omicron sublineages, the WHO added in its risk assessment.
These include:
1. High transmissibility of JN.1. "The variant is fast growing across all WHO regions with consistent SARS-CoV-2 sequence data sharing and has become the most prevalent variant in some countries," the WHO says.
2. JN.1 may display a higher immune evasion property. The WHO says the immune escape potential of JN.1 depends on the immune background of the population tested.
3. The WHO says countries approaching the winter season should be aware that, altogether, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing the Covid-19 disease) and co-circulating pathogens (influenza, flu, rhinovirus etc) may exacerbate the respiratory disease burden.
There are five factors to determine when a Covid-19 situation becomes serious. Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya, a leading public health and policy expert, and healthcare professional Sabine Kapasi had earlier listed a few factors that could hint at an alarming Covid-19 situation.
According to them, one must watch out if:
1. There are any new mutations and clustering cases in an area.
2. There is a rise in severity of the infection.
3. There is a shift in symptoms of Covid-19
4. There is a rise in hospitalisation
5. There is an increase in mortality.
Therefore, while there is an upsurge in Covid cases due to the JN.1 variant, "there is no increase in serious diseases (those infected have mild cough and fever)", NITI Aayog member-Health VK Paul said.
"This is the same virus which is driving an upsurge in other countries but we don't have to worry," said VK Paul added.
Meanwhile, Soumya Swaminathan said there's a "need to...take the normal preventive measures that we are all now familiar with...not much has changed, but one or two new mutations have come up. And that's why I think WHO has said let's keep a watch on it. It's a variant of interest. It's not a variant of concern..."
Health experts have been reiterating that there's no need to panic or worry as the Indian authorities and government are closely monitoring the virus. A few states and district administrations have rolled out advisories, urging people to wear masks and avoid stepping out during the festive season.
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