WHO calls COVID-19 strain JN.1 a “variant of interest” This is what it means – Times of India

The novel COVID-19 variation JN.1 has now been officially classified by the World Health Organization as a single “variant of interest,” following the strain’s quick global spread. This announcement was made on Tuesday. Health officials have been cautious in stating that, in comparison to earlier versions, JN.1 has not yet been discovered to cause distinct or more severe symptoms.

But according to the WHO, JN.1’s “rapidly increasing spread” over the globe was sufficient to separate the strain from its slower-moving predecessor BA.2.86.

“JN.1 continues to be reported in multiple countries, and its prevalence has been rapidly increasing globally and now represents the vast majority of BA.2.86 descendent lineages reported,” the World Health Organization stated.

What does the variant of interest imply?

JN.1 is a closely related offspring of the highly altered strain BA.2.86, which initially alarmed scientists in the summer. The WHO declared BA.2.86 to be a “variant of interest” back in August. Under the more concerning “variant of concern” classification, which would earn a strain a new Greek letter nickname from the U.N. agency, such Delta or Omicron, “variant of interest” is a step below. Since the original Omicron variants were classified in 2021, the WHO has declined to elevate any new variants to the “concern” threshold, indicating that there is a significantly elevated risk to public health.

According to the WHO, variants of interest are strains that are concerning enough to prompt nations to intensify their investigations into the variant, including fieldwork and laboratory analyses of outbreaks.

What factors are responsible for JN.1 to become a variant of interest?

According to the WHO, genetic alterations that are known to alter a crucial aspect of the virus, such as its transmissibility or the efficiency of therapies and vaccinations, are required for variants of interest. Second, there needs to be a discernible increase in the strain that would make it “an emerging risk to global public health.” Following the first discovery of BA.2.86, the WHO’s Maria Van Kerkhove declared in August, “We will use a Greek letter when we have a variant of concern and we won’t hesitate to use those Greek letters should they be needed.”

Common symptoms of JN.1

Here is a list of some common symptoms that are believed to be associated with the new COVID variant.
Persistent coughing is frequently noted as a symptom.
Signs reminiscent of a common cold, like a runny or stuffy nose, might appear.
Reports indicate sore throat or discomfort in the throat.
Headaches might be experienced by those affected by the JN1 variant.
Gastrointestinal symptoms, including loose motions (diarrhoea), may manifest.
Occasional mild breathlessness might be experienced by certain individuals.