China detects seven cases of new Covid-19 subvariant; What are the symptoms?

China has detected seven infections of the Covid subvariant JN.1, news agency Reuters has reported, citing the country's national disease control and prevention administration on Friday.

The authorities said the prevalence level of JN.1 is currently "very low" in the country, but added that it cannot rule out the possibility of it becoming the dominant strain in China due to factors including imported cases.

What we know about new variant of Covid-19 JN.1:

What is JN.1

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), JN.1, a variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, is a closely related offshoot of the variant BA.2.86.

As per the CDC, there is only a single change between JN.1 and BA.2.86 in the spike protein.

When was JN.1 detected?

JN.1 was first detected in the United States in September 2023.

As of December 8, the public health agency of the United States projects that the variant JN.1 makes up between 15–29% of the total cases in the United States.

(The) CDC projects that JN.1 will continue to increase as a proportion of SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences. It is currently the fastest-growing variant in the United States,” the public health agency of the US said.

Is JN.1 present in India?

According to a report in The Times of India, the new coronavirus variant was first detected in Kerala on December 13.

The latest data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) also confirmed its presence in Kerala.

National Indian Medical Association COVID Task Force's co-chairman Dr Rajeev Jayadevan said that JN.1 may be a contributing factor to the recent surge in India's Covid cases, which currently stands at 1,296.

What are the symptoms of JN.1 variant?

As per the CDC, It is not currently known whether the JN.1 variant of coronavirus produces different symptoms from other variants. In general, the symptoms of COVID-19 tend to be similar across variants.

Residents wearing masks near a mall in Beijing on Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)

“The types of symptoms and how severe they are usually depend more on a person’s immunity and overall health rather than which variant causes the infection,” the CDC said.

Should you be worried?

While the severity of JN.1 is yet to be figured, the US CDC has said that thecontinued growth of JN.1 suggests that it is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems.

“At this time, there is no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health relative to other currently circulating variants,” it said. “There is no indication of increased severity from JN.1 at this time. Updated COVID-19 vaccines are expected to increase protection against JN.1, as they do for other variants.”