Although no one among us who plans holiday gatherings or trips wants to hear bad news, the facts indicate an increase in the number of patients and infected with the new variant of the coronavirus - JN.1, which worries experts, Medscape reports.
The good news is that recent research indicates that the updated covid-19 vaccine for the 2023-2024 season. it also works against the latest variant.
"In America, the wave of the new omicron subvariant - JN.1 has already started, but it could be mitigated with a booster vaccine and other measures known to us earlier," said Dr. Erik Topol, physician, professor and editor-in-chief of Medscape, WebMD's sister website. -a.
But the problem is that very few people have been vaccinated so far, for example, less than 16 percent of adults in the United States, reports Hina.
Therefore, infectious disease experts and epidemiologists believe that it is time for the CDC to issue a public call for vaccination with an updated vaccine before it is too late, that is, while the antibodies can still "work" before the holiday gatherings begin.
"The wave of the JN.1 subvariant has already started here, but it could be mitigated by the use of a booster dose of the vaccine and previously known measures that prevent the spread of the virus," said Topol.
In the meantime, the number of infected and sick people is growing. According to CDC data, almost 25 patients were hospitalized due to covid in the United States in the week that ended on November 10.000, and points out that this is a 10 percent increase compared to the previous Sunday.
Who's who in the "family tree"?
JN.1, a subvariant of omicron, was first detected in the US in September. Then the World Health Organization called it a "descendant" of the omicron subvariant BA.2.86.
When the BA.2.86 variant, also known as Pirola, was first identified in August, it appeared to be significantly different from other variants, the CDC said at the time, raising concerns that this sub-variant could be more infectious than previous ones, even and for people who have acquired immunity through vaccination or previous infections.
Pirola worried experts because it has 34 more mutations than the BA.2 variant.
Dr. Rajendram Rajnarayanan, assistant dean for research and associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology of Arkansas State University, who is updating the database on variants and subvariants of covid-19, vividly said that "JN.1 is actually Pyrola's offspring" and added that variant BA .2.86 and its descendants worry scientists because of mutations.
To what extent has JN.1 expanded so far?
According to CDC data as of Nov. 27, BA.2.86 is predicted to comprise five to 15 percent of circulating variants in the United States.
"The expected risk of this variant, including its offshoot JN.1, to public health is low," the agency announced.
Rajnarayanan said that currently JN.1 is reported more often in Europe, but it should also be taken into account that some countries update the data better than others.
He believes that this subvariant has so far "probably spread to all countries whose health authorities monitor the spread of covid", due to mutations in the protein of the spike that make it easier for it to bind and infect, said Topol.
Efficacy of the vaccine against subvariant JN.1, other new variants
The new monovalent XBB.1.5 vaccine protects against the omicron subvariant – XBB.1.5 (also known by the nickname 'kraken'), but also against the JN.1 subvariant and other emerging viruses, a team of researchers reported on November 26 in a study published on page bioRxiv, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Scientists say the updated vaccine, which vaccinated uninfected people with, boosted antibodies by about 27 times against XBB.1.5 and by about 13 to 27 times against JN.1 and other new viruses.
"Although even the primary doses of the covid vaccine will probably help protect you from infection with the new subvariant JN.1, if you also receive the XBB.1.5 booster, it will protect you even more effectively against the new subvariant," Rajnarajanan said.
(Too) little interest in vaccination in the 2023-2024 season.
In November, the CDC released the first detailed estimates of how much of the population has been vaccinated.
By November 18, less than 16 percent of adults in the US had been vaccinated, and about 15 percent said they intended to receive a booster dose.
Among children, the percentage is even lower. Only 6,3 percent of children received the new updated vaccine, and 19 percent of parents said they planned to vaccinate their offspring in the 2023-2024 season.
Predictions and measures that can help
While some experts say that the peak of infection with the JN.1 subvariant is expected in the coming weeks, Topol believes that it is impossible to predict exactly how JN.1 will spread.
"In any case, November 2021 will not happen again", when omicron just appeared, said his colleague Rajnarayanan.
Then, in just four weeks, since the World Health Organization declared omicron a worrisome variant, the virus spread around the world.
Rajnarayanan suggests that people adhere to measures that can prevent the spread of the virus: "Get vaccinated with an updated vaccine. Encourage immunocompromised and elderly family members and friends to do so; if you plan to spend the holidays with friends indoors, ventilate the premises as often as possible; wear a mask at airports, airplanes and other means of public transport, it will help both you and others".
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