Symptoms of the rapidly spreading subvariant JN.1 of SARS-CoV-2

The JN.1 covid variant spread rapidly in December 2023 and has now become the most common strain of the virus in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), increasing the total number of new cases and to a lesser extent hospital admissions. JN.1 cases are also increasing in the United Kingdom, France, China and India, and other European countries, as well as in our country.

Professor of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine of the Athens National and Kapodistrian University Theodora Psaltopoulou, biologist Panagiota Zacharakis and doctor Yiannis Danasis summarize the latest data. International health authorities pointed out that it is not yet certain whether JN.1 infections cause different symptoms than other variants, with the CDC noting that "the types of symptoms and how severe they are usually depend more on immunity and general health of an individual rather than the variant that causes the infection."

According to the CDC, symptoms include: cough, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, fever, loss of taste and smell, runny or stuffy nose, fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, and mild gastrointestinal disorders (upset stomach, slight diarrhea).