This winter, too, increased caution against Corona applies. A new variant is said to have two unusual symptoms.
Frankfurt – Corona is in high season in winter – and this year too. The number of COVID-19 cases is increasing. The latest variant, called JN.1, is currently causing a stir. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it has quickly become the second most common strain in the United States.
“It’s growing exponentially,” says Dr. Thomas Russo, professor and chief physician for infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York State. “I have no doubt that it will continue to increase and drive this winter wave that we are seeing now.” The coronavirus variant JN.1 is descended from BA.2.86, explains infectious disease expert Amesh Adalja, MD, a senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. JN.1 is another Omicron variant.
New symptoms caused by corona variant JN.1? British research is causing a stir
“BA.2.86 has more than 20 mutations on the spike protein and when it was first discovered some time ago there were concerns that this could be a real problem,” says Russo. JN.1 has an additional mutation in its spike protein.
To date, there has been no data to suggest that JN.1 causes different symptoms than previous COVID-19 variants. This is also what Dr. William Schaffner, professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “It is an omicron variant and appears to be similar,” he says.
The British Office for National Statistics is now reporting sleep problems and anxiety as additional symptoms. The British scientists found this in a survey of people recently infected with Corona in England and Scotland that between December 7th and 13th, 10.5 percent felt worried or fearful. 10.8 percent reported sleep problems.
New Corona variant JN.1 very contagious: “Much more immune invasive”
However, the ONS warned that the results were “based on all participants who reported symptoms, regardless of cause and testing status” – so while a respondent might have had Covid, the symptoms they experienced may not necessarily be related to one infection related. A CDC spokesperson said of the UK findings that “the type of symptoms and their severity usually depend more on a person’s immunity and general health than on which variant is causing the infection.”
The new variant appears to be quite contagious. “There is some data to suggest that the parent variant of JN.1, BA.2.86, may be more transmissible than previous variants,” Russo explained. “Because JN.1 is a derivative of BA.2.86, there is concern that it may be more transmissible.” According to Russo, the variant is already occurring in Europe, such as Iceland, Portugal, Spain, France and the Netherlands. She is apparently “much more immune invasive” than his parents and “sneaky.”
But he sees no reason to panic. “We don’t think it causes more severe disease than other variants,” he says. According to the CDC, the corona vaccine should be effective against the new variant. (cgsc)