![]() ![]() This mutation may affect JN.1's immune escape properties, says Pekosz. Spike proteins help the virus latch onto human cells and play a crucial role in helping SARS-CoV-2 infect people, per the CDC. JN.1, however, picked up an additional mutation in its spike protein called L455S, says Pekosz. Laboratory data suggest that Pirola is less contagious and immune-evasive than scientists once feared, NBC News reported. ![]() “But (BA.2.86) sort of fizzled out,” he adds. “When its parent BA.2.86 emerged, everybody was worried because it had a lot of mutations and looked like it was going to evade a lot of the immunity from vaccines and infection in the population,” Andrew Pekosz, Ph.D., professor and vice chair in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, tells. JN.1 descended from BA.2.86, which is a sublineage of the omicron BA.2 variant, previously reported - that's what sets JN.1 and BA.2.86 apart from the other prevailing variants like HV.1 and EG.5, which descended from omicron XBB. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, tells. They're part of the same extended family, but they each have their own distinctive personalities," Dr. "Think of (the variants) as children and grandchildren of omicron. Just like the other newer variants, JN.1 is part of the omicron family. JN.1 was first reported in August 2023 and it has spread to at least 41 countries so far, according to the WHO. Will JN.1 cause a COVID-19 surge? Does JN.1 have different symptoms and is it still detected by COVID tests? Does it respond to vaccines and treatments? Here's what experts know about JN.1 so far. ![]() The agency warned that at the end of the month, emergency rooms and hospitals could become strained, similarly to last year, especially in the South. JN.1's growth comes as COVID hospitalizations rise, influenza continues to spread and RSV activity remains high in many places, according to a Dec. right now are descendants of omicron, which began circulating in late 2021.ĭuring the last few weeks, JN.1 quickly overtook many other variants, including its parental strain BA.2.86, as well as HV.1, EG.5 or Eris and XBB.1.16, aka Arcturus. XBB.1.5 was the dominant strain for most of 2023 and it's the variant targeted in the updated COVID-19 vaccines, previously reported.Īll of the most prevalent COVID-19 variants in the U.S. JN.1 has one additional mutation compared to BA.2.86, which has more than 30 mutations that set it apart from the omicron XBB.1.5 variant. However, the new variant is closely related to a strain seen before: BA.2.86, aka "Pirola," which has been spreading in the U.S. Scientists around the world are closely monitoring JN.1, which has sparked some concern due to its rapid growth and large number of mutations. ![]()
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