JN.1 Covid-19 variant detected in Thailand: 40 cases and counting

[webfact]

The Covid-19 variant JN.1* has been detected in Thailand, with 40 cases reported so far. Thai health officials are closely monitoring the situation as it is speculated to replace the XBB variant as the dominant strain. The JN.1 strain was first detected in Thailand in October last year and increased significantly in December last year.

 

Yongyot Thammavut, Director of the Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, revealed that since early 2023, the XBB.1.16* hybrid strain had been the dominant strain in Thailand until September. However, it began to decline, and the XBB.1.9.2* variant started to replace it. Recent genome sequencing results of the Covid virus in the lab from November last year to January 15 this year, showed a decrease in the XBB.1.9.2* hybrid strain, while the proportion of JN.1* significantly increased.

 

“From current data, JN.1* infections have been found in Health Areas 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, and 13, with general respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, and phlegm. No deaths from the JN.1* infection have been reported yet. Currently, there are 40 JN.1* infections in Thailand, and there are no two mutation types yet”.

 

Yongyot also stated that the department and lab network have been monitoring the situation of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Thailand since early 2022. They found Omicron variants BA.1, BA.2, BA.4, BA.5 and other sub-varieties in the lineage. Currently, the Omicron variant is the main strain spreading in the country.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) continues to prioritise monitoring ten Omicron sub-variants due to their increasing prevalence or advantage in the rate of increase compared to other strains and mutations concerning the advantage in disease causation, namely:

Variants of Interest (VOI) – five strains: XBB.1.5*, XBB.1.16*, EG.5*, BA.2.86*, and JN.1*.
Variants under monitoring (VUM) – five strains: DV.7*, XBB*, XBB.1.9.1*, XBB.1.9.2*, and XBB.2.3*.

 

Sub-variants

On December 18, last year, the WHO designated the JN.1* variant as a VOI. The JN.1* variant is a sub-variant of BA.2.86* that has a mutation on the spike different from BA.2.86, namely L455S (the amino acid at position 455 changes from Leucine to Serine), significantly increasing its ability to evade immunity. JN.1* has a growth advantage over XBB.1.9.2* up to 73%, reported Sanook.

 

by Samantha Rose

Picture courtesy of Fusion Medical Animation, Unsplash

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2024-01-17

 

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[smedly]

and I sneezed yesterday  -  is that news too ?

[ikke1959]

Oh my God 40 cases... Lock down please 

[dinsdale]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The Covid-19 variant JN.1* has been detected in Thailand, with 40 cases reported so far.

Fair chance there are 10's of thousands of people here with some type of common cold virus.

[Bday Prang]

38 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Fair chance there are 10's of thousands of people here with some type of common cold virus.

"You know who"  will provide a scary chart shortly,, others will demand that masks are worn ,  others will berate "antivaxxers"     Groundhog day   Deja vu   call it what you wish   I heard the WHO  are starting to wake up and flex their muscles too   ho hum

Edited January 17 by Bday Prang

[Tarteso]

infections have been found in Health Areas 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, and 13,
 

 

?  🤔

[john donson]

any news from that company that makes or made thai vaccines?