JN.1 represents 'very serious evolution' of Covid virus, say global experts

JN1 the latest Covid19 variant from the lineage of Omicron making a fresh surge around the globe represents very serious evolution of Covid virus according to global expertsJN1 classified as a variant of interest VOI by the World Health Organization WHO due to its rapid spread is currently present in about 41 countriesIt was first detected in Luxembourg in August The WHO expects JN1 to increase the burden of respiratory infections in many countriesThe WHO has just called JN1 a VOI variant of interest and that just doesnrsquot cut it with the growth advantage this variant has demonstrated It is just extraordinary Dr Eric Topol founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in CaliforniaUS was quoted as saying to FortuneJN1 is a descendent lineage of BA286 with the earliest sample collected on August 25 2023 In comparison with BA286 JN1 has the additional L455S mutation in the spike protein making it more transmissibleJN1 represents a very serious evolution of the virus And it isnt over Dr Michael Osterholm Director of the University of Minnesotas Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy CIDRAP was quoted as sayingJN1 is an all new variant with numerous changes that had never been seen in any commonly circulating lineage before This is unlike other recent variants which were merely a few mutations from their predecessor Dr Rajeev Jayadevan cochairman of the National Indian Medical Association Covid Task Force told IANSTherefore the disease patterns from an immune evasiveness and spread capability of this variant needs careful attention Dr Jayadevan addedHe explained immune invasiveness of a variant as the ability of the virus to overcome the existing immune response within an individualAfter the major variants of Covid like Alpha Delta and Omicron JN1 very likely represents a new chapter in pandemic evolution claimed the experts According to Ryan Gregory a biology professor at the University of Guelph in Canada JN1 has ushered in a new eraThe highly transmissible variant is on track to become the lineage from which most variants are descended for the foreseeable future Gregory was quoted as saying to FortuneMaria Van Kerkhove WHOs Covid19 technical lead said that the next sublineages of the Covid virus can come from JN1But we could also see something quite different We could see something like an Omicron again she saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever