The World Health Organization, commonly known as WHO, classified the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a "variant of interest" on Tuesday. However, they have also given reassurance that the new strain doesn’t pose a significant risk or threat to public health. Though it is believed to be able to transmit more easily than any previous strain, no sign of any serious infection or harm has been reported. The sub-variant JN.1 was previously a part of its parent lineage BA.2.86, but recently WHO classified it as a whole separate variant of interest based on its rapidly increasing speed.
What Is Variant Of Interest?
A variant of interest refers to the strains that are more worrisome and need to be investigated, in labs and on fields, further to determine their seriousness and how to go about it. In order to be classified as a variant of interest, a strain needs to have genetic alterations that would directly affect how and at what speed it transmits and how effective treatments and vaccines are against it. Variant of interest is just below the ‘variant of concern’ in the hierarchy of strains when it comes to being worrisome. A variant of concern refers to the more serious strain that is identified with Greek letter nicknames like Omicron, Delta, and Alpha.
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What is JN.1 Sub-Variant Of Omicron?
JN.1 is a recently discovered sub-variant of the Omicron strain on Covid-19. According to the CDC, it was first detected in the United States in September 2023, but at that moment, the speed of transmission was much slower. However, in the recent few weeks, it went up to 15% to 29% of all covid cases in the United States. Even though it is believed that either this variant is more contagious or simply better at evading the body’s immunity, WHO has claimed that it poses a significantly lower risk to public health.
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To counter this new strain, it is advised to get timely vaccinations, use masks in crowded areas especially indoors, and limit contact with people with comorbidities who are showing symptoms of respiratory issues.