2023-12-22 18:51:21
The Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS) confirmed this Friday the first case of the JN subvariant. 1 of COVID-19 in the country. According to the information provided, the person had two doses of vaccines against COVID-19 and when evaluated had mild symptoms, and is in the process of recovery.
Perspective Writing
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently indicated that the new subvariant JN. 1 was of interest to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, so monitoring began in Guatemala to determine its presence in the national territory.
«At the moment the available evidence considers that the additional risk to public health posed by JN. 1 is low, therefore, it is unlikely that the spread of this variant will increase the burden on the national health system compared to other Omicron sublineages,” said the Directorate of Epidemiology and Risk Management of the MSPAS.
As explained, although the first case presents mild symptoms, the MSPAS calls on the population to maintain prevention measures and use a mask if exposed to crowded places or if they have respiratory symptoms. In addition to hand washing, the use of alcohol gel and, above all, urges not to self-medicate and seek help from the different services of the national health network.
“These preventive measures are important to avoid infections due to respiratory diseases or in the case of patients with chronic diseases, to protect their health,” they stressed.
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WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THIS VARIANT
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), JN.1, a variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, is closely related to the BA.2.86 variant that the CDC has been monitoring since August of this year.
As they detail, at this time, JN.1 is projected to comprise between 15% and 29% of variants in circulation and continues to grow compared to other variants. Its continued growth indicates that it is more transmissible or has a better ability to evade our immune system.
They add that, at this time, there is no evidence that JN.1 poses a greater risk to public health relative to other variants that are currently in circulation. Additionally, the increase in circulation of this variant does not alter CDC recommendations regarding COVID-19, meaning vaccines, tests, and treatments continue to work well against the JN.1 variant.
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