We explain to you what JN.1 is, a new variant of Covid-19.
- The JN.1 strain is a subtype of the BA.2.86 variant, nicknamed “Pirola”.
- In France, the Covid-19 epidemic has started to rise again.
- Since the start of the epidemic, there have been more than 771,863,775 cases of coronavirus across the world and 6,982,739 deaths.
What is JN.1? A new variant of Covid-19 which is taking off in Great Britain while NHS hospitals are already saturated.
The JN.1 strain was the cause of one in 13 cases last month across the Channel and is more prolific than all other strains, causing British authorities to fear a new wave.
Covid-19: the JN.1 strain is a subtype of the Pirola variant
The JN.1 strain is a subtype of the BA.2.86 variant, nicknamed “Pirola”, a strain which began to spread in France at the end of August.
“The Pirola variant is really different from the Omicron family, with mutations that move away from those for which people have been immunized,” indicates to West France epidemiologist and professor of public health Philippe Amouyel. “This is why we think that there is a risk of a new epidemic wave with the JN.1 variant, even if it is really speculation at the moment. And we are of course not not in the situation of January 2020″, continues the specialist.
“The challenge is to know whether this JN.1 variant will be more transmissible than its predecessors. This will probably be the case since it is a natural evolution: when viruses evolve, it is to pass the immune barriers which block them”, adds Philippe Amouyel.
The WHO recently classified JN.1 in “variants to follow” due to its characteristics.
Strain JN.1: oWhere is the Covid-19 epidemic in France?
In France, the Covid-19 epidemic has started to rise again. “In week 48, an upward trend in the share of suspected Covid-19 among SOS Médecins acts was observed in most age groups, particularly among those aged 65 and over with 590 acts, or 6, 4% (vs. 4.7% in S47)”, can we read in the latest report from Public Health France. Over the same period, “the number of visits to the emergency room for suspected Covid-19 was 4,353, or 1.2% (vs. 1.0% in W47). The number of hospitalizations after visits for suspected Covid-19 was 1,824, or 2.7% of all hospitalizations (vs. 2.2% in S47)” continues the health agency.
Since the start of the epidemic, there have been more than 771,863,775 cases of coronavirus across the world and 6,982,739 deaths.
