
"JN.1 Variant Surge: The New Face of the COVID Pandemic in the US and Beyond"
The new COVID-19 variant JN.1, nicknamed "Pirola," is causing concern among experts as it has become globally dominant with over 30 mutations, making it as genetically distinct from Omicron as Omicron was from the original virus. Despite its significant growth advantage, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet assigned it a Greek letter, which some experts criticize as a missed opportunity to alert the public and prompt government action. The WHO maintains that all new variants have been similar enough to Omicron to not warrant a new designation, but they are prepared to assign a new Greek letter if a variant shows a change in severity. Meanwhile, volunteer variant trackers have been giving memorable names to significant strains to communicate the evolving threat to the public.




