Due to the continuous mutation of coronavirus and the new variants emerging from it, the cases of infection are still not decreasing globally. In studies, experts have expressed concern about the infectivity rate of the JN.1 variant seen in recent months and have advised people to continue taking special precautions against it. Due to this, a significant increase in daily cases was recorded in many countries in December 2023 and January. In India too, cases of infection have increased rapidly.
According to the information being received from all over the world, at present, there has been a slight decrease in its effectiveness, but the risk of infection is still seen to be quite high in many countries. The US is one of the most affected countries, where this new variant is believed to be responsible for about 86 percent of the cases. Let us know, how is the situation in India at present.
Most cases in the US are of the JN.1 variant
According to the news agency report, JN.1 remains the most widely circulating variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the country and globally. At present, this variant is considered to be the main reason for 85.7 percent of Corona cases in the US. The crowd of people in hospitals has also increased here. Officials said that most people are experiencing mild symptoms, but cases have increased due to the infectiousness of this variant. Due to Corona and most of its mutated variants, there has been a surge in the rate of infection.
Corona situation in India
According to the report of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG), there are a total of 1,513 cases of the JN.1 variant in the country. A surge in cases of infection due to the JN.1 variant has been recorded in many states, although the daily cases have now reduced significantly. More than 840 cases were reported in a single day on December 31, although over the past week, daily cases have dropped to between 200-300 per day.
The country saw 203 COVID-19 cases in a single day, while the active caseload stood at 2,034, according to Union Health Ministry data on Monday. According to the data, there have also been two deaths in 24 hours, although the Corona situation in the country is now quite controlled.
Effect of infection on the immune system
Meanwhile, in the study being conducted on Corona and the problems caused by it, scientists said, every time you face Covid-19, your immune system becomes smarter. After vaccination and infection, the immune system generates broad protection against the virus, including new variants. This can help protect you from becoming a victim of infection next time. This happens with almost all viruses.
What did the study find?
In a paper published Jan. 19 in the journal Science Immunology, South Korean researchers compared the immune cells of people with a history of infection and vaccination against different Omicron variants in the laboratory. People who received the original Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and then became infected with any of the Omicron variants showed improved levels of memory T cells. This not only protects against the infection-causing variant but also helps in accelerating the immune response by identifying it easily the next time there is an infection.
(PC: iStock)
