The cases of the new coronavirus sub-variant, JN. 1, have been on the rise in several countries. The World Health Organization has designated the variant as a “variant of interest”, on Tuesday. It states that JN. 1 variant of coronavirus is separate from its ancestor BA.2.86 which is commonly referred to as Pirola.
The inter-government body said in a statement that because of the speed with which the variant is spreading, WHO is classifying the JN. 1 as a separate ‘variant of interest’ (VOI) different from the original BA.2.86. Earlier, it was considered a Variant of Interest (VOI) within the Pirola sub-lineages.
The WHO designates a variant as a Variant of Interest (VOI) if it shows growth advantages compared to other variants, such as increased proportion with rising cases, or if it’s predicted or known to change key characteristics like how easily it spreads, its strength, its ability to evade antibodies, or its response to treatments and tests.
Once marked as a VOI, the WHO tracks its global spread, assesses its public health risk, and encourages sharing of samples. Member countries must report cases, monitor, and investigate to understand the variant’s potential impact.
India has recorded at least one case of JN.1 in Kerala and around 15 cases in Goa. Globally, JN.1 cases have been found in the US, several European countries, Singapore, and China. By December 2, Pirola-related sequences made up 17% of the sequences on the GISAID database, with more than half being JN.1, according to the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Covid-19 vaccine composition.
Singapore reported 56,043 cases between December 4 and 10, with an increase in hospitalizations, particularly among those aged 60 and above. “JN.1-infected cases currently make up the majority of Covid-19 cases in Singapore.” In the US, JN.1 comprised 15% to 29% of the circulating Covid-19 variants.