Originating from the BA.2.86 or Pirola variant, JN.1 has shown rapid growth and increased transmissibility. In the US, it already accounts for up to 29 per cent of circulating strains as of December 8, leading to a rise in Covid-related hospitalizations. Detection of the variant in wastewater has also increased exponentially in several countries.
While there is no significant increase in hospitalizations related to JN.1 yet, experts are closely monitoring the situation. Further investigation into emergency room visits and medical data will provide insights into the severity of illness caused by this variant.
The coronavirus has demonstrated its ability to infect the gut, and the trend of shifting away from lower lung infections has been observed since the emergence of the omicron variant. Researchers suggest that changes in the virus’s behavior may be influenced by vaccinations and prior infections, which prime the immune system to recognize and attack the virus before it reaches the lungs.
This marks only one of several discussions circulating about JN.1. The variant is incredibly contagious and elusive to the immune system, prompting some scientists to suggest the necessity of assigning it a distinct Greek name to distinguish it from its highly contagious predecessor, omicron.
“The way it enters cells has significantly deviated from what we observed in 2020. It is currently at the pinnacle of this evolutionary path,” Bloomberg quoted Turville, whose lab at the University of New South Wales has been monitoring viral entry pathways since the onset of the pandemic.Despite the uncertainties, it is evident that JN.1 represents a significant shift in the virus’s mode of entry into cells. Unlike previous variants, JN.1 shows a stronger preference for an uncleaved version of the ACE-2 cell-surface protein, potentially leading to different tissue infections.
