What is the new COVID-19 JN.1 variant causing a spike in cases?

Victoria has flagged a ”wave-on-wave” of cases due to the JN.1 strain of the infection.

Here is what you need to know.

What is the latest variant of COVID?

JN.1 is descended from BA.2.86, or Pirola, a subvariant that came to the world’s attention over the summer because of the large number of changes to its spike proteins: more than 30.

Scientists feared that it was so mutated that it would completely escape the protection of vaccines and antibodies against COVID-19, perhaps sparking another tidal wave of illness the way the original Omicron variant did in 2021.

That never happened, but BA.2.86 hung around, growing very slowly.

JN.1 then developed from that.

Is this variant more dangerous?

The World Health Organisation said the public health risk from JN.1 is “low”.

However is said there could be an “increase” in cases.

The WHO notes while there was limited data, two studies showed there was no higher risk of needing hospital treatment with this strain.

Signs and symptoms of JN.1

The US Centres for Disease Control said it’s not known if any new symptoms stand out compared with other strains.

COVID-19 symptoms include a sore throat, cough, fever, congestion and runny nose, fatigue and muscle aches.

How many cases of COVID-19 are there in Australia?

As well as NSW and Victoria both flagging a rise in cases, there has been a rise in the number of people in ICU with COVID-19, national data shows.

It has more than doubled from a 26 rolling average in October 20204 to 54 at the start of December, the federal Department of Health said.

The rapid spread of the JN.1 variant has plunged Victoria into a double COVID-19 wave, according to health authorities.

The new variant has sparked a second surge of infections and the highest number of hospitalisations with coronavirus in the state within a six-month period.

According to the latest COVID-19 surveillance report from Victoria’s Department of Health, an average of 377 people were hospitalised with the virus, an increase since the early December peak of 326 cases in hospital.

The number of people going to hospital also rose.

In NSW, more than 17 per cent of PCR tests are returning positive results, prompting warnings that the state is seeing the “highest level of COVID-19” in the community in a year.

Most infections are coming from Omicron-related variants, with the JN.1 variant making up 35 per cent of infections, and the EG.5 variant causing 40 per cent of infections, according to NSW Health.

South Australian data shows cases are up there too over the past few weeks.

The best way to protect against severe illness from COVID-19 is to keep vaccinations up to date.