JN.1 subvariant of Covid-19

N.1 subvariant of Covid-19

News: Recently a case of the JN.1 subvariant of COVID-19 has been identified in Kerala during the continuous routine surveillance conducted by INSACOG.

About:
• Origin: JN.1 was first detected in September 2023 and has since been detected in at least 12 countries, including the U.S.
• Relation to Other Variants: JN.1 is a direct offshoot of BA.2.86, also known as “Pirola”, which has been spreading in the U.S. since the summer. It has one more mutation compared to its parent strain BA.2.86.
• Concerns: The rapid growth of JN.1 compared with other variants raises the question of whether this variant might drive an incremental increase in infections. Scientists are closely monitoring JN.1 due to its rapid growth rate and large number of mutations.
• Symptoms and Impact: It is not currently known whether JN.1 infection produces different symptoms from other variants. There is no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health relative to other currently circulating variants. There is no indication of increased severity from JN.1 at this time.