JN.1 variant detected causing increased hospitalizations for COVID-19

Of these, 17 severe cases required oxygen therapy, and there were no deaths due to COVID-19. The severe cases were all in the risk group (with serious underlying diseases) and had not received enough doses of COVID-19 vaccine according to the Ministry of Health 's instructions.

Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases and the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) conducted gene sequencing from specimens of 16 COVID-19 patients treated in December 2023.

Many COVID-19 patients have to use oxygen (illustrative photo).

The results showed that 12/16 patients (75%) were infected with the Omicron JN.1 sub-variant, with 1 case infected with the JN.1.1 variant, 2 cases with BA.2.86.1 and 1 case with XDD.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said that over the past 6 weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases hospitalized at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases has been gradually increasing, which is a worrying sign.

The JN.1 sub-variant has been classified as a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization (WHO) since December 18, 2023 because it has spread rapidly around the world. It is also the cause of the increase in the number of cases and deaths in a number of countries, including Thailand.

According to WHO, JN.1 has new antigenic characteristics that allow the virus to easily attack the immune system and become more transmissible. However, there is no evidence that this variant causes more severe disease than other sub-variants of Omicron.

In general, all current variants cause similar COVID-19 symptoms, the severity of which depends on the immune system and health status of each person.

A US CDC survey found that existing COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostic testing techniques, and therapeutic drugs remain effective against JN.1.

Southeast Asia reported more than 26,000 new cases (up 379% from 28 days ago), 186 new deaths were reported (up 564% from 28 days ago).

Of these, India recorded 86 deaths, Indonesia 72 deaths, and Thailand 21 deaths. According to the Thai Ministry of Health, many cases of ventilators and deaths due to COVID-19 were not vaccinated or were not fully vaccinated.

In the above context, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health assessed that the risk of an increase in the number of cases and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 is real. People should not be subjective or negligent and continue to take measures to protect themselves, their families and the community.

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tp-hcm-phat-hien-bien-the-phu-jn1-gay-gia-tang-nguoi-mac-covid-19-nhap-vien-post282184.html