Due to the worsening of the new crown epidemic, Singapore has had to reopen the "mobile hospital" to treat patients with mild symptoms. According to reports, the main cause of the outbreak is the spread of a new coronavirus variant called JN.1.
This strain is considered one of the most contagious strains of COVID currently known, and it also has some impact on the effectiveness of existing vaccines. So, how terrible is this strain, what challenges and threats will it bring to Singapore and the global anti-epidemic situation, and how should we respond and prevent it?
What is the JN.1 strain?
The JN.1 strain is a mutant strain of the new coronavirus, its full name is B.1.617.1, which is a branch of the B.1.617 strain. The B.1.617 strain is one of the first COVID variants identified in India.
It has two mutations, L452R and E484Q, both of which can increase the infectivity and escape of the virus, that is, they can make it easier for the virus to infect human cells and also more easily evade the body's immune system and vaccine protection.
The JN.1 strain, a branch of the B.1.617 strain, has only the L452R mutation and not the E484Q mutation. This means that it may be more contagious than the B.1.617 strain, but it may be less evasive than the B.1.617 strain. However, this does not mean that it is not dangerous, as it is still highly transmissible and has a somewhat weakening effect on the effectiveness of the vaccine.
The JN.1 strain, a variant of the new crown first identified in Japan, evolved from the B.1.617 strain imported from India. Its name is based on the abbreviation of the name of its first confirmed case in Japan, which is J.N., a man of Indian origin of Japanese nationality.
He returned to Japan from India on April 24 and was subsequently confirmed to be infected with the JN.1 strain. At present, the JN.1 strain has been detected in Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Switzerland and other countries and regions, and the number is still increasing.
How scary is the JN.1 strain?
The JN.1 strain, considered one of the most contagious strains known, may be more than 50% more contagious than the original strain, about 20% higher than the British variant B.1.1.7, and about 10% higher than the South African variant B.1.351 and the Brazilian variant P.1. This means that it can spread through the population more quickly, causing more infections and deaths.
The JN.1 strain, which also has an impact on the effectiveness of existing vaccines, can reduce the level of neutralizing antibodies in the vaccine, thereby weakening the protection of the vaccine. According to some preliminary studies, the JN.1 strain can reduce the levels of neutralizing antibodies in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines by about 6 times, the levels of neutralizing antibodies in the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine by about 2.5 times, and the levels of neutralizing antibodies in the Indian-made Covishin vaccine by about 3 times.
This means that even if you are vaccinated, you cannot completely prevent infection with the JN.1 strain, and it may increase the risk of severe disease and death.
The JN.1 strain may also cause some new clinical manifestations and symptoms that are different from previous COVID cases. According to the observation of some doctors, patients infected with the JN.1 strain are more likely to have gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, etc., rather than respiratory problems.
Such as cough, fever, difficulty breathing, etc. This can cause some difficulties and miscalculations in diagnosis and treatment, and may also delay the patient's medical treatment and isolation, thus exacerbating the spread of the epidemic.
Why is Singapore reopening its "mobile hospital"?
Singapore, a country known as a model in the fight against the epidemic, adopted a series of strict measures during the epidemic last year to effectively control the spread of the virus and maintain low infection and mortality rates. However, in May this year, a new wave of outbreaks emerged in Singapore, resulting in nearly 1,000 confirmed cases and dozens of deaths. The main cause of this outbreak is the spread of the JN.1 strain.
According to the Ministry of Health, as of June 14, a total of 163 cases of infection with the JN.1 strain have been detected in Singapore, of which 74 are local community infections and 89 are inbound quarantine infections. More than half of these cases were people who had already been vaccinated, and some were people who had already received two doses of the vaccine. This suggests that the JN.1 strain has a certain impact on the effectiveness of the vaccine and has developed some community transmission in Singapore.
In response to the pandemic, the Singapore government has taken a series of emergency measures, including limiting the number of people at social gatherings, closing public places such as restaurants and gyms, postponing the start of schools, strengthening entry and quarantine management, and reopening "mobile hospitals".
Among them, the "mobile hospital" is a temporary medical facility used to admit patients with mild symptoms, which can provide basic medical services and monitoring, reduce the pressure on the hospital, and prevent the collapse of the medical system. During the epidemic last year, Singapore used "mobile hospitals" to treat thousands of patients with mild symptoms, and achieved good results.
This time, the Singapore government has reopened the "field hospital" and plans to increase the number of beds in the "field hospital" from the current 2,000 to 5,000 in the coming weeks in response to a possible worsening of the epidemic.
How should we respond to and prepare for the JN.1 strain?
In the face of the existence and spread of the JN.1 strain, how should we, as ordinary citizens and consumers, respond to and prevent it? ���
Strengthens your own immunity. There are ways to strengthen our immunity, improve our ability to resist viruses, and reduce the risk of infection. For example, we can maintain good Xi habits, such as regular work and rest, reasonable diet, moderate exercise, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol.
We can supplement some beneficial nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, etc., to increase the body's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity, and we can also take some drugs or health products that help improve immunity, such as traditional Chinese medicine, probiotics, immunoglobulins, etc., to enhance the number and activity of the body's immune cells and antibodies.
Get vaccinated aggressively. We can obtain some immune protection through active vaccination, reduce the severity of infection, and reduce the likelihood of severe disease and death. Although the JN.1 strain has some effect on the effectiveness of vaccines, vaccines can still provide some protection, and vaccinated people are less likely to develop severe disease and death than unvaccinated people.
Therefore, we should choose the appropriate vaccine according to our physical condition and the vaccine supply in our area, complete the vaccination according to the specified time and dose, and pay attention to observing and reporting adverse reactions and abnormalities after vaccination.
Comply with epidemic prevention rules and measures. We can reduce the risk and harm of infection by following the rules and measures to prevent the virus. For example, we can wear masks, maintain social distancing, avoid crowds, wash our hands frequently, disinfect items, and so on.
We can also pay attention to the latest developments and information of the epidemic, follow the guidance and advice of professional institutions and governments, do not believe or spread rumors, do not panic or be paralyzed, and so on.