Ireland’s confirmed instances of the novel JN.1 Covid strain have increased once again, according to health officials, reports The Mirror.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) identified 598 instances of the strain on January 18.
As of now, there are 832 documented illnesses, a 39.13% increase in just three weeks, according to the report.
The JN.1 variety has “rapidly increased” since November, according to the HPSC, and “data indicates that there are likely to be increases in case numbers,” the agency said.
However, it stated: “There is no indication of impact of vaccine effectiveness or increased disease severity”, reports The Mirror.
Giving an update on Covid in Ireland, it said: “Since February 2023, XBB (and other recombinant) SARS-CoV-2 variants have dominated circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants worldwide. Since mid-June 2023 XBB1.5 and related lineages with the F456L mutation (and subsequently with the additional L455F mutation) in the spike protein increased in predominance globally and in Ireland. However, since November 2023, the BA.2.86 sublineage JN.1 has rapidly increased and is replacing XBB.1.5-like lineages,” reports The Mirror.
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