Knowing New COVID-19 variant JN.1: Severity, Symptoms, and Protection
During the recent New Year period, the rate of COVID-19 cases increased. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have announced the discovery of a new variant of COVID, termed JN.1. What to Know about the New Variant According to UN, JN.1's most alarming characteristic is […]
During the recent New Year period, the rate of COVID-19 cases increased. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have announced the discovery of a new variant of COVID, termed JN.1.
What to Know about the New Variant
According to UN, JN.1's most alarming characteristic is its rapid global spread. First identified in Luxembourg, it has swiftly become the dominant variant in numerous countries, including the UK, the US, and India. Due to its concerning surge, the World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled JN.1 as a "variant of interest".
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that the new COVID-19 variant, JN.1, has evolved from BA.2.86 and is currently one of the fastest-spreading variants in the United States. As of December 8, 2023, approximately 15–29% of patients were found to have this variant.
Despite the rapid increase in infection numbers, there's no evidence to suggest that the JN.1 variant poses a greater risk than other variants currently spreading. The existing Covid-19 vaccines are predicted to be effective against JN.1.
While the rapid spread of JN.1 is concerning, but data about its severity and impact on vaccine efficacy is still limited. Initial reports suggest that its symptoms are similar to those associated with other Omicron variants. These symptoms can vary based on an individual's health and immune system. Common symptoms include a sore throat, runny nose, cough, fatigue, and headache.
Even though the symptoms of COVID-19 infection generally appear to be less severe than last year, CDC data shows a 20% increase in hospital admissions due to COVID-19 infection and a 12.5% rise in the death toll in the past week. There are still an average of about 1,500 deaths from COVID-19 per week.
Recent Number COVID-19 Cases in Thailand
On January 11, 2024, Dr. Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, Director of the Department of Disease Control, predicted an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients, especially after the New Year festival. In the first week of 2024, 664 patients were admitted to the hospital, averaging 95 cases per day. This is an increase from the previous week's daily average of 70 cases, marking a 12 percent rise. There were 144 severe patients and 4 deaths, and it's anticipated that these numbers will continue rising for some time, based on projections of an outbreak from late November 2023 to early February 2024.
Source: Disease Control Department
In addition, the Disease Control Department recommends the following self-care guidelines for the public:
- Wear masks in crowded places like public transportation, hospitals, and elderly care facilities, and wash hands frequently.
- If you have respiratory symptoms, test yourself with an ATK and avoid close contact with group 608 (people over 60, those with 7 chronic diseases: chronic respiratory disease, heart and vascular disease, chronic kidney failure, cerebrovascular disease, obesity, cancer, diabetes, and pregnant women).
- If you test positive, wear a mask to prevent virus spread, monitor your symptoms, and urgently seek medical attention if you experience shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
For high-risk group 608:
- Get your annual COVID-19 vaccine.
- Wear a mask when in close contact with many people.
- Avoid close contact with people showing respiratory illness symptoms.
- If you start to feel sick and test positive with an ATK, wear a mask, seek urgent medical treatment, and consider taking antiviral drugs quickly to reduce the chance of severe illness.
Source:
UN: COVID-19: WHO designates JN.1 ‘variant of interest’ amid sharp rise in global spread
Update on SARS-CoV-2 Variant JN.1 Being Tracked by CDC
AMA: Symptoms of new COVID variant JN.1
Hfocus: กรมควบคุมโรค เผย "โควิด JN.1" มีแนวโน้มเพิ่มขึ้น ย้ำกลุ่ม 608 ควรป้องกันด้วยการสวมหน้ากาก
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Title:Knowing New COVID-19 variant JN.1: Severity, Symptoms, and Protection
Written By: Cielito WangResult: Insight
