The COVID-19 pandemic that shook the world doesn’t seem to end soon when some US scientists discovered four more variants of the virus recently namely, HV.1, EG.5, BA.2.86 and JN.1. The number of cases has been really low comparatively with the help of the vaccine but these vaccines are not enough to tackle all, as per reports.

Researchers have found that EG.5 and HV.1 are two closely related variants that are persistent in half of the COVID victims. EG. 5 peaked at around 25% in September and has since dropped to 13% in December. HV.1 emerged at the end of summer and became the dominant variant in late October and now accounts for more than 30% of cases.

EG.5 and HV.1

According to experts, the EG.5 and HV.1 variants, though present, do not pose a significant threat compared to other variants that were prominent this year. EG.5, a descendant of the Omicron variant XBB.1.9.2, first emerged in China in February 2023

HV.1 has evolved from EG.5 and shares high similarity with its predecessor. The exact reason for HV.1 overtaking EG.5 is not entirely clear, but one of the few additional mutations in HV.1 likely gives it a competitive edge over EG.5. Despite these developments, experts maintain that these variants do not pose a substantial threat compared to other variants that were more prominent during the course of the year.

BA.2.86 and JN.1

Scientists are closely monitoring BA.2.86, also known as Pirola, due to the number of mutations it carries in the spike protein. This protein is crucial for the virus to infect human cells and is what our immune systems use to identify it. Initial concerns arose as early data suggested that the new vaccines might not be very effective against BA.2.86.

However, more recent evidence indicates that antibody levels produced in response to BA.2.86 are comparable to those developed against EG.5. This suggests that the vaccines should offer sufficient protection against this variant.

A new variant, JN.1, has emerged from BA.2.86 and is spreading rapidly. It possesses a mutation that provides it with additional immune-evading capabilities. While preprint paper results testing the new vaccines against HV.1 showed effective antibodies against JN.1, the levels are not as high. This raises some concerns about the effectiveness of the vaccines against JN.1, despite their protective abilities against other variants.