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Covid Makes a Comeback in Holiday Season, All You Need to Know About JN.1 Variant

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By Aakansha Malia

December 21, 2023
4:28 pm
Los Angeles, CA

Just when we thought that Coronavirus was gone for good, it has returned to haunt the globe. One of the first Asian countries to witness a rapid resurgence in COVID cases is Singapore, reporting above 56,000 cases in the week of December 3 to 9. The Ministry of Health said on December 15 that the increase is 75% over 32,035 infections in the previous week, with average daily COVID hospitalizations rising from 225-350. Most cases detected in Singapore are infected by the JN.1 variant, a sublineage of BA.2.86. The MOH said in a media release, “Based on the available international and local data, there is currently no clear indication that BA.2.86 or JN.1 are more transmissible or cause more severe disease than other circulating variants.” However, the U.S. Centres

Most cases detected in Singapore are infected by the JN.1 variant, a sublineage of BA.2.86. The MOH said in a media release, “Based on the available international and local data, there is currently no clear indication that BA.2.86 or JN.1 are more transmissible or cause more severe disease than other circulating variants.” However, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said the continued emergence of JN. 1 suggests that it’s either more transmissible or better at evading immune systems.

Therefore, the compulsory mask mandate has also made a comeback, with the Singapore Government issuing advisories. It advised the public to wear masks in crowded places even if they are not sick, especially indoors or around vulnerable people. MOH said travelers should also take precautions, carry travel insurance, and avoid crowded areas. As the government anticipates a surge in hospital admissions in the coming days, it has urged people to seek medical treatment at a hospital’s emergency department only for serious or life-threatening emergencies.”

Other Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia have also raised alarm over the rapid spread of Coronavirus and stepped up action by installing thermal body scanners at Jakarta’s main international airport and Batam’s ferry terminal in recent weeks to screen arriving travelers for COVID-19. The cases, however, are still low, between 40 and 50. Still, health authorities have urged Indonesians to “postpone traveling to areas which are reporting a spike in Covid cases,” complete their two-dose vaccination, wear masks and wash their hands, and stay home in case they fall sick.

In Malaysia, COVID cases have doubled in two weeks, rising from 3626 at the end of November to 6796 reported in the first week of December and 13,000 during the country’s 49th Epidemiological Week from Dec. 3-9. Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, director of the country’s Ministry of Health, warned about the increase in new cases due to travel and gatherings during celebrations and festivities.

After almost four years of speculation about COVID-19 being worse than the seasonal flu, its contagiousness, and its ability to cause clotting problems in the veins and arteries, on December 14, the Lancet published a new study on the deadly virus. It included a comparative analysis of 18 months of follow-up hospital admissions for those with COVID-19 and seasonal flu. People infected with Covid-19 reported adverse health outcomes, including a higher death rate. Ziyad Al-Aly, the director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center, says, “This was evident in pre-Delta, Delta, and Omicron (strains), and evident in both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.” In the comparative analysis over 18 months, he found that COVID-19 was linked to a “significantly increased risk” for 64 of 94 pre-specified health outcomes, almost 75%, and the seasonal flu was associated with increased risk in only six of the 94 specified conditions.

The study, which essentially sheds light on how the Coronavirus is a much more serious threat to human life, has come at a time when not only South East Asian countries are seeing a rise in the number of COVID cases, but the United States is also witnessing a significant uptick in COVID-related hospitalizations, with 15 states reporting high or very high levels of respiratory illness cases. The rise is seen as frigid temperatures persist in many parts of the globe, and the holiday season is also at its peak, moving more people indoors and into crowded settings.