A CITY doctor is warning people of a new covid variant which can take longer to recover from and may cause more severe disease.

Dr Jason Seewoodhary, a Worcester GP based at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, wants to raise awareness of JN.1 covid variant.

Symptoms include a cough, fever, stomach cramps and diarrhoea.

Dr Seewoodhary said: “I would like to raise awareness of a new Covid variant that is affecting our community here in Worcester.

"JN.1 is a Covid variant that descended from BA.2.86 – the Pirola variant from Omicron.

"JN.1 causes flu-like symptoms with a cough, fever, runny nose, headache, loss of sense of smell, stomach cramps and diarrhoea, along with extreme fatigue.

"It may take longer to recover from and cause more severe disease."

He explained JN.1 has a mutation, or genetic change, in its spike protein, which dictates how easily it can infect a person's cells compared to other variants.

He continued: "There are also several other mutations elsewhere that make it more infectious meaning JN.1 may evade our immune systems and dodge protection built up from previous infection and vaccination more easily hence it may replicate faster.

"The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is now formally tracking the variant.

"At the start of this week there had been 302 cases of JN.1 infection in the UK and it’s likely this will rapidly rise with the cold weather and social gatherings over the festive period.

"JN.1 has a weekly estimated growth rate advantage of 84.2 per cent, which means the variant is taking off faster than any other strain seen in the last eight months.

"JN.1 currently represents about 13 percent of Covid cases but it will probably become the next common variant."

Dr Seewoodhary reassured people that vaccines given as part of the current booster rollout have been updated to protect against the XBB.1.5 Omicron variant, have also been proven to work against JN.1's parent BA.2.86.

He added: "I would urge all those eligible for a Covid booster vaccine to take up the offer - currently only half of those eligible for the booster vaccine have taken it up.

"The NHS offers treatment to people with Covid-19 who are at the highest risk of becoming seriously ill and patients should contact their GP if they have any concerns.”