Expert: No need to worry
In recent days, the coronavirus mutant strain JN.1 has attracted worldwide attention. Today, virus prevention concept stocks surged across the board. As of press release, Senxuan Pharmaceutical had risen more than 21%, Tuoxin Pharmaceutical had risen by more than 18%, and Xinhua Pharmaceutical and Zhongsheng Pharmaceutical followed suit.
According to the news, the coronavirus variant JN.1 is spreading at an accelerated pace around the world. Recently, the official website of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) included JN.1 separately in the COVID-19 proximity forecast (SARS-CoV-2 Nowcast) for the first time, saying that JN.1 is currently the fastest-growing COVID-19 variant in the US.
The COVID-19 variant JN.1 is spreading in many countries around the world
JN.1 is a mutated branch of the coronavirus variant BA.2.86. This variant appeared in the US as early as August of this year. In recent weeks of surveillance, there has been an increase in the JN.1 infection rate among the population.
According to some reports, in recent times, the number of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 infection in the US has increased rapidly, from a record low of 5,631 in July to 12,450 on December 2. According to CDC data, the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients in the US has exceeded 20,000 in the last week.
Currently, the JN.1 variant has been discovered in 12 countries. COVID-19 surveillance data from European countries also show that the JN.1 variant infection is gradually dominating and showing an upward trend. As of mid-November, many European countries, such as Ireland, Iceland, Portugal, Spain, and France, have experienced exponential growth, particularly in Denmark, where the variant virus infection has covered 50% of the population. The UK also claims that the weekly growth rate of JN.1 is expected to be 84.2%, and the spread rate far exceeds that of other known variants.
Although the JN.1 variant is currently being widely discussed on social media, the current mainstream virus in China is still the EG.5 variant, according to the virus mutation monitoring data for local domestic cases from the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the US CDC,It is still unclear whether JN.1 will cause an uproar in the US and cause the COVID-19 pandemic like in previous years. Close attention will be paid to the COVID-19 pandemic and JN.1.Scientific adviser and epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina (Katelyn Jetelina) told the media that according to the current rate of transmission, JN.1 may become the main popular strain around Christmas, “or set off a real wave of infections around January 1, 2024.”
Vaccines and drugs are still effective for protection
Currently, there is no evidence in many countries to support that JN.1 infection is more likely to cause severe illness. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the immune escape ability of the mutated strain will change due to the prevalence of other variants, population immunity, vaccine coverage, etc.
Professor Jin Dongyan, a microbiologist and professor at the Li Ka-shing School of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, said in an interview that there is no need for the public to worry about JN.1; it is unlikely to cause a major outbreak on a global scale. “One basic rule is that the mutations produced by the current mutated strain are all small mutations (called drift in technical terms), not major changes (technical terms are called transformation). After the 'big tsunami' of COVID-19, data from countries and regions around the world that are closely monitored showed that they have all experienced a wave of infections caused by several different variants, but none of them have caused major outbreaks.”
Jin Dongyan stressed, “The coronavirus will coexist with humans for a long time, and there will definitely be more transmissible variants, but it doesn't matter if it is highly contagious; the pathogenicity has not increased.”
In addition, some studies have shown that antiviral drugs still maintain strong activity against the JN.1 variant, mainly because the JN.1 variant does not have any mutations affecting the activity of antiviral drugs such as the XBB variant; on the other hand, some studies have shown that the COVID-19 vaccine containing the XBB variant can still efficiently resist infection with the JN.1 variant; more importantly, no increase in the pathogenicity of JN.1 has been observed.
As of December 4, 6 COVID-19 vaccines related to the XBB antigen have been approved for marketing in China. Includes 3 recombinant subunit vaccines (injections), 2 mRNA vaccines (injections), and 1 recombinant adenovirus type 5 vaccine (inhalation). The “Xi'an Evening News” reports that the updated COVID-19 vaccine has been distributed to all parts of Shaanxi Province. According to Xinhua News Agency, several community hospitals in Shanghai provide vaccination services.
COVID-19, influenza, and mycoplasma pneumoniae infections or combined epidemics
Recently, the National Health and Health Commission also revealed that as all regions enter winter one after another, respiratory diseases have entered a season of high incidence. Currently, various respiratory diseases are intertwined and superimposed.
Last month, the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council issued a notice today requiring all regions to do a good job in preventing and controlling COVID-19 infections and other key infectious diseases in winter and spring.
According to the “Notice”, winter and spring are seasons of high incidence of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, influenza, norovirus gastroenteritis, etc., and diseases such as mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Currently, the COVID-19 situation across the country is generally stable, but there is still a risk that the COVID-19 epidemic in China will rebound in winter. Since October 2023, the activity of influenza and mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in China has gradually increased. It is expected that influenza will peak in winter and spring across the country, and mycoplasma pneumoniae infections will continue to be high in some regions for some time to come. This winter and spring, our country is likely to face a situation where various respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, influenza, and mycoplasma pneumoniae infection are compounded and spread.
The “Notice on Accomplishing the Prevention and Control of COVID-19 Infections and Other Key Infectious Diseases in Winter and Spring” proposes six key measures.
The first is to effectively implement epidemic prevention and control at ports; the second is to continue to carry out dynamic monitoring and early warning of the epidemic; the third is to strengthen prevention and control of key population groups in key institutions; the fourth is to strengthen preparations for medical treatment and response; the fifth is to continue to strengthen popular science education; and the sixth is to strengthen organizational leadership and implementation of responsibilities.
Note: This article is synthesized from the medical community, Lilac Garden, Hangzhou Daily, and Pharmaceutical Research Network