JN.1 variant mild, not a cause for alarm: Guj Health Minister
The HansindiaDec 20, 2023
WHO Charts Rapid Global Spread of COVID-19 JN.1 Variant
The Facts
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the COVID Omicron subvariant JN.1 as a "variant of interest" as it continues to monitor its rapid spread across the globe — including in India, China, the UK, and the US.
After reviewing the available data, the WHO determined "the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low" but "with the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere" it could increase the prominence of respiratory infections there.
The Spin
Narrative A
This new COVID subvariant has a low mortality rate and shouldn't be a cause for panic. Even so, individuals and public health officials must remain vigilant and follow all recommended precautions and protocols that have been practiced repeatedly since the onset of COVID to prevent a wider spread that could affect vulnerable communities.
Narrative B
A large swath of the world’s population is treating COVID as though it's the common cold. But it can still be very real and very dangerous because individuals run the risk of repeat COVID infections and multiple infections at the same time — not to mention possible long-term complications. This presents a risk of severe disease to a large portion of the global population and changes the outlook for seasonal infections.
Nerd narrative
There's a 25% chance that the weekly rate of hospitalizations per 100K in the US for each COVID, influenza, and RSV will equal or exceed 3.0 in the same week during the 2023-24 season, according to the Metaculus prediction community.