A case of JN.1, a sub-variant of COVID-19 currently circulating in the US and China, was detected in Kerala as part of ongoing routine surveillance by INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium).
According to Dr. Rajiv Bahl, DG, ICMR, the case was detected in an RT-PCR positive sample from Karakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on December 8. The sample was RT-PCR positive on November 18. The patient had mild symptoms of Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and has since recovered.
The Union Health Ministry is in touch with the state health authorities and monitoring the situation at the entry points. In fact, a mock exercise is being conducted in all health facilities in various states through District Collectors as part of a regular exercise to assess their public health measures and hospital preparedness. The tour will end by December 18.
There has been an increasing trend of COVID-19 cases from Kerala in the last few weeks. This is due to the increase in the number of samples from the cases of AKI referred for investigation. Most of these cases are clinically mild and recover on their own at home.
Although the number of COVID-19 cases has generally remained low around the world this year, there was a slight increase in early December, according to a dashboard maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO). Cases of JN.1 in several countries before the holidays, particularly the spike in the US, China and Singapore, have led people to wonder if there could be a spike. However, the sub-variant is not entirely new and has been found in small quantities in many countries for several months.
What do we know about JN.1?
The JN.1 subvariant is a close relative of the BA.2.86 variant, commonly called Pirola. It carries only one additional mutation in the spike protein compared to its relative. Pirola was on the scientists’ watch list as a “variant of interest” because of the 39 more mutations it carried on the spike protein compared to its predecessor. Mutations in the spike protein of Sars-CoV-2 are important because they are what attach to receptors on human cells and allow the virus to enter them.
Could this option lead to an increase in cases?
There were concerns that Pirola might be able to evade immunity more effectively and spread rapidly. However, this did not happen. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that updated vaccines available domestically have shown the ability to effectively block Pirola infections and should therefore also protect against JN.1.
Experts say immunity from previous infections and immunization with vaccines containing the ancestral protein are likely to protect against newer variants as well. Indeed, an evaluation by the WHO Technical Advisory Group on the composition of the vaccine against COVID-19 showed that both Pirola and JN.1 were effectively neutralized by serum from people who had the infection and vaccination, but not by the serum of animals , who have just had the vaccine but not the natural infection. This may be due to a cumulative effect of immunity through infection and vaccination in humans, the WHO assessment said.
Are cases of JN.1 increasing?
The WHO said Pirola and its descendants account for 17 percent of the Sars-CoV-2 sequences uploaded to the global GISAID database. More than half of these sequences were those of JN.1 by early December. There were at least 3,000 JN.1 sequences uploaded to the global database, with most of the sequences coming from the US, Canada and European countries. “Although new variants such as BA.2.86 and JN.1 are gaining attention, currently 99 percent of SARS-CoV-2 variants are part of the XBB group,” the US CDC said.
How can you protect yourself?
Experts say that while new variants of Sars-CoV-2 will continue to emerge, protection against the respiratory virus remains the same. So mask yourself in crowded areas, especially closed ones, if the number of cases is increasing locally. Staying in well-ventilated rooms reduces the spread of infection. Wash your hands often to prevent infection and practice social distancing.
