2023-11-24 11:59:58
After JN.1, another variant of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly: HV.1. How scientists assess the risk and what applies to Germany.
Most recently, the Corona variant Omicron and its subtypes dominated the infection process worldwide. A new sub-variant is now spreading rapidly in the USA. What is known so far about HV.1.
New corona subtype must be closely monitored
HV.1 is currently responsible for most Covid diseases in the USA. “We have a new Covid variant that we need to keep an eye on,” American Health Association (AMA) Vice President Andrea Garcia warned in an update from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday.
The new HV.1 variant was first detected in the USA in the summer of 2023. Now this new variant has suddenly completely taken over the infection process in just a few weeks and has thus overtaken other variants such as “Eris” (EG.5).
The reason for the spread of HV.1 is not yet known
According to experts, HV.1, like the recently sensational variant JN.1, is a subtype of omicron. More precisely: a subline of Omicron XBB-1.9.2 and a direct descendant of “Eris” (EG.5). HV.1 is very similar to the existing Omicron variants and is therefore no more contagious than them.
In complete contrast to the JN.1 variant, which recently caused a stir. It is a direct successor to “Pirola” and has more than 20 mutations on its spike protein alone. This makes it appear to be much more contagious. You can find out more about JN.1 here.
Nevertheless, HV.1 is proving to be a very dominant corona variant. What exactly causes this is not yet known. Researchers have not yet been able to answer the question of whether HV.1 might be better at evading immunity.
Symptoms of HV.1
According to experts, the symptoms caused by HV.1 are similar to those of newer omicron variants. This includes:
Sore throat, stuffy nose, runny nose, cough, exhaustion, headache, muscle pain, fever and chills
However, HV.1 can also cause a type of chronic bronchitis with a cough that lasts longer than the other symptoms.
HV.1 has not yet been detected in Germany
HV.1 has not yet been detected in Germany. According to the current weekly report from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the well-known omicron descendants still dominate in this country, such as:
“Eris” (EG.5): 51 percent “Pirola” (BA.2.86): 14 percent JN.1: 5 percent
However, due to the high number of unreported cases, the numbers are only of limited significance. Experts assume that a large proportion of infections are not passed on to the authorities because many people no longer allow themselves to be tested. What makes it even more difficult is that positive results are rarely examined for the different variants.
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