2023-11-17 18:10:26
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Omicron, Eris and Pirola: The coronavirus is constantly mutating. Two subtypes have now been discovered that may be more contagious than previous variants.
Bremen – With the cold season, respiratory diseases are increasing once more, including corona infection. Two new corona sublineages are currently being observed by researchers. Both might possibly be more contagious than previous variants.
New Corona variant HV.1 dominates in the USA: “Grandson of Omicron”
On the one hand, this is the Corona variant HV.1. “You can almost think of HV.1 as a grandson of Omicron,” William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, explained Today. In addition, HV.1 is a descendant of EG.5 – also called Eris.
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According to the newspaper, the new variant quickly caught on and accounted for 25 percent of corona cases in the USA at the end of October. So far there are no signs of serious disease progression, Ross Kedl, immunologist at the University of Colorado, told the broadcaster Wion. At the same time, Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University, emphasized that the coronavirus is still evolving and most variants are not worrisome.
New corona variant JN.1 is being observed by researchers
Kelly Oakson, senior scientist for bioinformatics at the Utah Public Health Laboratory, described a sublineage of the Pirola variant (BA.2.86) as “alarming”. JN.1 is the name of the new Corona variant that first appeared in the USA in September 2023. Unlike BA.2.86, it is suspected of being more contagious. “We will definitely be watching him,” quoted Daily Mail the researcher.
A new Corona subline JN.1 has been discovered, which comes from the Pirola variant. © Sofiane Regragui/imago
Most recently, some cases were reported in over eleven countries, primarily in the USA and Great Britain. There are indications that JN.1 might be “possibly more contagious,” the Austrian daily quoted OE24 Professor Thomas Russo, who discovered the new variant. According to the US health authority CDC, it is not yet possible to say whether JN.1 will spread given the limited data available. As the University of Nebraska Medical Center reported, there is no evidence that JN.1 causes different symptoms than previous corona variants.
New Corona variants also in Germany?
In the current one weekly report from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), HV.1 and JN.1 do not appear. In this country, the Eris variant still dominates with around 43 percent of all confirmed corona infections. At Pirola it is only seven percent (as of the 44th calendar week).
Virologist Christian Drosten also recently gave the all-clear. There is no evidence of serious illness in Pirola, he told the Time. In contrast, a new study recently showed that Long Covid can damage the organs. Those affected repeatedly report severe Long Covid courses. (which)
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