COVID-19: From Alpha to JN.1, all you need to know about emerging variants
SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, undergo frequent mutations. While many genetic alterations are inconsequential, some can enhance the virus's ability to infect cells or evade antibodies. The count of variants is dynamic, and as of 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized nine variants in circulation.
Over 50 variants have been identified, though some are no longer actively spreading. Here is a list of some notable COVID variants: Omicron (B.1.1.529) is a strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus initially reported to the WHO by the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa on November 24, 2021. Also Read: Covid is spiking again.
Just how serious is it now? Within the Omicron lineage, multiple subvariants have arisen, including BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, and BA.5. Notably, since October 2022, two subvariants of BA.5, namely BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, have also been identified. India reported the first cases of the Omicron variant on December 2, 2021.
The subvariant was initially identified in Luxembourg and is believed to have a connection to the Pirola variant (BA 2.86), which is considered a derivative of the Omicron subvariant. Also Read: Covid’s new strain JN.1 not a cause for immediate concern: Centre A novel form of the COVID-19 JN.1 variant has been identified in India. Reports indicate that this subvariant was detected on December 16 as part of routine surveillance conducted by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).
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