Covid-19 scare: JN.1 symptoms not limited to lungs, respiratory system; doctors say new variant also affects…

JN.1 symptoms: Amidst the rising number active Covid-19 cases in India, primarily due to the NB.1.8.1 and LF.7 variants of the deadly virus, health experts have made a chilling discovery about the potential effects of the JN.1 variant of Coronavirus.

Symptoms of JN.1 variant

The usual symptoms of the JN.1 Covid-19 variant are consistent with those associated with other variants, including fever, chills, dry cough, sore throat, fatigue, chronic headaches, runny or blocked nose, muscle ache, and difficulty in breathing. However, doctors have now discovered that the JN.1 symptoms are not limited to lungs and the respiratory system, but also cause gastrointestinal in affected patients.

As per doctors, several patients diagnosed with JN.1 variant of Covid experience symptoms like nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea, which were rare in earlier variants of the virus.

Covid-19 or common stomach infection? How to differentiate?

As mentioned above, several symptoms now associated with JN.1 variants are similar to those experienced when afflicted by a common stomach infection. Experts say the JN.1 variant has adapted over the years and is now able to attack itself to intestinal cells, which results in symptoms consistent with stomach infections.

Doctors suggest that those experiencing such symptoms must opt for a Covid test to ensure that they are indeed suffering from an intestinal infection, especially if the symptoms persist for more than a couple of days.

What is the JN.1 variant?

First discovered in Luxembourg in August 2023, the JN.1 is a strain of Omicron’s BA2.86, with over 30 different mutations that weaken the immunity of the infected individuals. The JN.1, which was declared as a ‘variant of interest’ by the WHO in December 2023, spreads more easily compared to other Covid-19 variants, but is not as ‘harmful’ as others, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

JN.1, which remains the most common variant of the deadly virus globally, has symptoms that can last from a few days to a couple of weeks. However, if symptoms persist for a longer period, it may be an early indication of what is called the ‘long Covid’, a condition in which Covid-19 symptoms persist even after recovery.

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