2023-12-17 09:25:00
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The corona incidences in Germany are higher than they have been for a long time. The reason for this is a new Corona variant: JN.1 is spreading rapidly and is already dominating.
Berlin — Shortly before Christmas, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported worrying figures: There are currently more corona infections in Germany than there have been in a year and a half. A total of over 196,008 Covid-19 cases have been reported since October. In the 49th calendar week alone there were 26,847 new infections. This is from the most recent one RKI weekly report out.
So far, the variants Eris (EG.5) and Pirola (BA.2.86) have dominated. But recently a new variant has been responsible for the many new infections. It is the Pirola subtype JN.1, which already causes high incidences in the USA. According to the RKI, 29 percent of all new infections were caused by this variant. It therefore displaces Eris and Pirola, which each account for less than 20 percent of all infections. In addition to Covid-19, other respiratory diseases are currently spreading and are causing a real wave of infections in Germany.
Mutation of the coronavirus variant JN.1 worries researchers
JN.1 was first detected in the United States in September. The responsible health authority there has this Center for Disease Control (CDC), states that 15-29% of new infections can be traced back to JN.1. According to the authorities, the Pirola subtype will spread even further in the coming weeks. The same might also apply to Germany: When monitoring wastewater in December, the RKI detected more Sars-CoV-2 gene fragments than at any time since the summer of 2022.
In Germany, more people are becoming ill with the coronavirus once more. Symbolic image © Maurizio Gambarini/dpa
JN.1 was initially not listed separately in infection statistics because of its similarity to the Pirola variant. The only difference between the two virus variants is a change in the spike protein. However, this mutation worries researchers. The dominance of JN.1 suggests that this variant is either easier to transmit or more successful at evading the immune system. The infectiologist Dr. Thomas Russo, who heads the department of infectious diseases at the University of Buffalo in New York, described the variant in an interview with the American health magazine Prevention as “extremely deceitful” and warned of even higher infection rates.
Corona vaccines effectively protect once morest all virus variants
Despite the rapid spread of the variant, there are currently no signs that JN.1 leads to a higher risk for infected people compared to other variants. There are currently no indications of new symptoms of the variant. Headaches, body aches, coughs, a runny and stuffy nose as well as possible disorders of the sense of smell and taste are still among the most common symptoms of a Covid-19 infection. The Pirola variant had caused a stir because it was associated with unusual symptoms such as a skin rash and changes in the mouth and tongue.
There is also the all-clear for vaccinated people: it is assumed that all approved vaccines provide sufficient protection once morest infection with JN.1. They are also effective once morest Eris and Pirola. The virologist Ulf Dittmer, who is director of the Institute of Virology at the University Hospital Essen and president of the Society for Virology, recommends vaccination once morest Covid-19 for people aged 60 and over. (jus)
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