The tracing of the latest subvariant of Covid JN.1 in a person infected with SARS-CoV2 in Kerala has triggered worries, as the variant has turned out to be a public health concern in the US. The subvariant of Covid is said to have milder symptoms but spreads faster as seen in the west.
However, according to experts, there is no need to panic as mutations of the viruses are natural and the new variant was spotted during the genome surveillance in the National Institute of Virology in Pune.
Speaking to Happiest Health, Dr N K Arora, co chair, INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) said that there is no need to panic. “The new subvariant JN.1 is a relative of the BA.2.86 variant (Pirola) of Covid. There have been concerns in western media about North America and Europe. We have to wait and watch. However we should not panic,” Dr Arora said.
“The behavior of viruses in all these three and a half-four years has been different in India vis a vis other countries. Omicron variants which created concern in a lot of high income countries, we did not have. Practically we did not have any impact of that. The disease has been mild since 2022, and neither hospitalisations have increased,” Dr Arora said.
How the JN.1 subvariant was born
Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman, national Indian Medical Association (IMA) COVID Task Force & past president, Indian Medical Association, Cochin says that the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus has undergone several genetic changes over the years, with the biggest landmark in terms of the evolution of the virus occurring in November 2021 with the identification of the Omicron variant.
“The Omicron variant was vastly different from all other variants of the virus and since its identification, it has undergone several changes,” said Dr Jayadevan.
Omicron itself has undergone serial changes after it was first identified in November 2021 of which the first landmark change was two Omicron sub lineages simultaneously infecting the same cell in the same person and exchanging their genetic material and producing something successful- such an event is very uncommon, says Dr Jayadevan. “That happened and the XBB variant was born,” he says.
XBB was the dominant variant until October 2023.
“Sometime in September or October, however, a completely new variant was identified- the BA 2.86 variant, which variant trackers with access to databases helped identify. Over the past month, this subvariant (JN.1), which is very different from all the other variants identified so far, has started spreading,” he adds.
A mutation of the BA.2.86 variant has resulted in the birth of this latest subvariant – the JN.1, according to Dr Jayadevan.
What is the JN.1 subvariant?
“Although it is not the most common subvariant as per country-wise databases, it is one of the fastest growing. Naturally, due to its rapid growth, it will soon become one of the most common variants,” he adds.
Dr Jayadevan says that research has shown that the new variant is very immune-invasive. “This basically means that this version is so different from the other versions of the virus that the antibodies generated for the previous versions will not work on this one. A XBB.1.5 booster shot, for instance, may not work with this sub variant,” he says.
Dr Jayadevan adds that Japanese researchers have also found that this variant is going to outgrow all other variants.
Public health implications
Dr Jayadevan says that as per the database of the INSACOG, as of today, there is one case of JN.1 recorded in Kerala. “It is going to continue to infect people. In the coming days, we will have a better picture,” he says.
Although there may be other confirmed cases being reported in the coming days, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will evolve into a public health threat that the general public should be scared about, he adds.
“Covid is a cyclical virus- which means that it comes and goes in several intervals. Authorities have to keep a close tab on the caseload and as the load rises, people can get on with their lives, provided they take some simple, basic precautions,” he says.
People have to be careful not to get reinfected as it can have a cumulative effect on the body, Dr Jayadevan says.
Dr Arora further adds that the genomic surveillance and epigenomic surveillance is being done with the same intensity as it was in 2020. “We are closely watching,” he reiterated.
Protecting yourself from the new JN.1 subvariant
Dr Jayadevan says that some of the basic precautions to take include:
- If you’re unwell, isolate yourself.
- Practice social distancing- if someone is sick, do not interact with them.
- If you’re in an ill-ventilated, closed public space where a lot of people have gathered, wear a mask to protect yourself.
- If you are among the vulnerable sections of the population, take extra precautions to protect yourself.
Dr Jayadevan says that after a while, once the case load come down, people can relax. Until then, he recommends closely following guidelines laid down by the authorities.
Takeaways
As per the recent findings of the National Institute of Virology in Pune, there has been one case of a person from Kerala who was infected with the latest subvariant of Covid JN.1. The subvariant of Omicron was traced through regular genomic surveillance. While the same variant has raised concerns because of its fast spread seen in the US, experts in India point out that it is not a matter of concern yet, as there has not been an increase in hospitalization of Covid cases in India.
