Symptoms of a new Covid variant could makes thousands sick this Christmas

A new subvariant of the Pirola strain of coronavirus could make thousands of people sick over the Christmas season, as experts warn that this variant is much more infectious

Experts have warned of a new and highly contagious covid variant that could make thousands of people sick over the Christmas period.

The subvariant of the Pirola strain of coronavirus is called JN.1 and is expected to make Covid-19 levels rise in the coming weeks.

The variant first appeared in Luxembourg in August, and has since spread across the UK, US and France.

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Experts expect that the JN.1 variant will spread rapidly due to its specific mutation, as reported by Belfast Live.

“Researchers fear that JN.1 will prove more infectious than previous variants because of a specific mutation. That, combined with people mixing more over the next few weeks thanks to parties and shopping, could lead to a Christmas Day spike.”

The parent of the JN.1 variant is the BA.2.86 Omicron variant that has swept across Ireland.

According to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSPC), BA.2.86 was first detected in Israel on August 13th 2023.

“It has since been found in many countries including Denmark, UK, USA and South Africa, though the prevalence to date is still relatively low and there does not appear to be any evidence of increased transmissibility or impact on clinical severity.”

In Ireland, there have been 76 COVID-19 cases confirmed as infected with BA.2.86 lineages to date.

The HSPC have also reported that there has been an increase in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks, “In week 48 (between November 26 and December 02 2023) there were 444 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported on CIDR. This is an increase of 5.7% compared to week 47 when there were 420 confirmed COVID-19 cases notified.

“In week 48, a total of 5,366 SARS-CoV-2 tests were performed, of which 471 (8.8%) were positive. This is an increase compared to the previous week, 47, when 7.8% were positive.”

Speaking BA.2.86’s lineage variant, JN.1, Professor Sheena Cruickshank said that while this variant is new and there isn’t enough data to confirm anything yet, it may be the next dominant variant.

"One of the mutations JN.1 seems to have the potential to help it better latch onto cells, making it better at infecting us. That coupled with immune evasion mechanisms mean it may be tricky for our immune systems to get rid of."

While everyone is susceptible to catching this particular variant, older people, particularly those in residential care homes, may face higher risks.

As the HSPC reported, “The highest number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases in week 48 was in the age group of 75-84 years with 23.2% of notified cases in week 48.

“A total of 3 cases had a date of death in the latest epidemiological week, 48. The mean and median age of those who died in that week was 88 and 91 years respectively.

The JN.1 variant shares many of the same symptoms as other covid variants, including fever or chills, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, and a cough.

However, JN.1 symptoms also include nausea or vomiting and diarrhoea.

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