'Spreading Rapidly But Not Causing Hospitalisations': Former AIIMS Chief On New Covid Variant

JN.1 is causing more infections but data suggests that most of the symptoms are predominantly in the upper airways, Dr Randeep Guleria, former AIIMS Chief, said.

India does not need a variant-specific vaccine, but one which covers several variants, according to Dr Guleria. SARS-CoV-2 has undergone multiple mutations, and JN.1 is an Omicron subvariant. Therefore, a vaccine made against Omicron will be effective against JN.1 too.

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Covid-19 subvariant JN.1 is not causing severe infections and hospitalisation, Dr Randeep Guleria, former director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), has said. However, the Omicron subvariant is more transmissible, is spreading more rapidly, and is gradually becoming a dominant variant, he said, news agency ANI reported. 

JN.1 is causing more infections but data suggests that most of the symptoms are predominantly in the upper airways, Dr Guleria said. These symptoms include fever, cough, cold, sore throat, running nose, and body aches. 

Is a new vaccine needed against JN.1?

Dr Guleria said that India does not need a variant-specific vaccine, but one which covers several variants. SARS-CoV-2 has undergone multiple mutations, and JN.1 is an Omicron subvariant. Therefore, a vaccine made against Omicron will be effective against JN.1 too, he explained. 

According to Dr Guleria, more data is required to understand the current immunity of the population, and the level of protection conferred by previous Covid-19 vaccinations. Based on this, it can be decided if a new vaccine is required. 

In case a new vaccine is made, it must cover the current circulating strain, and also be effective against future variants. 

Dr Guleria said that we need to have data on how frequently the population must be vaccinated, and what will be a good vaccine that will cover a broader range of variants which already exist, and which may emerge in the future. 

#WATCH | Delhi: On Covid-19 new variant Jn.1, former AIIMS Director and Senior Pulmonologist Dr Randeep Guleria says, "...We need a vaccine which covers a broader type of the virus. We have had multiple mutations. Jn.1 is sub lineage of Omicron. So a vaccine which is made against… pic.twitter.com/bfbfnWqdX0

— ANI (@ANI) December 24, 2023

Dr NK Arora, Chief, Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), has said that no additional vaccine dose is required against the JN.1 subvariant. 

According to an ANI report, he said prevention is needed for people aged 60 years and above, for people who are likely to have comorbidities, and for those who are on medications that suppress one's immunity. These include cancer patients. 

Dr Arora suggested that these people should take a precautionary vaccine if they have not received one yet. 

He also said that several Omicron sub-variants have been reported, but none of them have increased severity, and hence, there is no need to panic.

In the last 24 hours, Kerala had the highest number of Covid-19 cases out of all states. Of a total of 423 cases, as many as 266 were reported from Kerala, according to data from the Union health ministry. 

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JN.1, which originated from BA.2.86, has been classified as a variant of interest. Current evidence shows that the overall risk posed by JN.1 is low, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

JN.1 was first detected in the United States in September 2023.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, JN.1 is currently the fastest-growing variant in the US, and is projected to continue increasing as a proportion of SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences. 

The only difference between BA.2.86 and JN.1 is that of a spike protein. 

The CDC speculates that the continued growth of the variant suggests that JN.1 is either more transmissible or better at evading immune systems. 

Currently, there is no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health compared to other variants, and also no indication of increased severity from JN.1.

The CDC has warned that Covid-19 is likely to increase in January 2024, and hence, people can get the updated Covid-19 vaccine to ensure enhanced protection.