Gulf News: A new COVID-19 variant called PJ.2.1 has been identified. The variant, which was first detected in Canada in May 2026, has been reported to be spreading across continents. The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is closely monitoring the variant because of its growing geographical spread. Its arrival has raised familiar questions about how dangerous it is and whether another wave is coming.

What it is
A study published in the Journal of Infection in October 2026 describes PJ.2.1 as a “novel saltation variant”. It evolved from an older variant that circulated until May 2025 and descends from the JN.1 lineage.

According to Dr Amit Saraf, director of internal medicine at Jupiter Hospital in Thane, PJ.2.1 has a heavily mutated spike protein and an increased ability to interact with the ACE2 receptor, the doorway the virus uses to enter human cells.

“Laboratory experiments also indicated greater cell-entry efficiency in certain cell lines,” he told The Indian Express. “Interestingly, the study did not find that PJ.2.1 was substantially better at escaping antibodies generated by the variant-adapted vaccine responses examined. This is an important distinction: a variant spreading faster does not necessarily mean it causes more severe disease.”

When and where it was first reported
The first confirmed sample was collected on May 2, 2026, in Ontario, Canada. The variant was later detected elsewhere in Canada and in New York City on June 30, followed by several other US states. It has also been found in Australia, Singapore and Spain.

Symptoms
According to WAM, the WHO has said the symptoms linked to the new variant closely resemble those of a common cold or influenza, so infections cannot be identified by symptoms alone. A diagnostic test is the most reliable way to tell it apart from other viruses.

How dangerous is it?
So far, there are no signs that PJ.2.1 causes more severe illness than earlier variants. However, because its symptoms are similar to a cold, it is too early to say how serious its impact could be. Globally, about 780 million COVID-19 cases and seven million deaths have been reported to date, although new cases have fallen significantly.

What should people do?
Health experts advise getting tested if you have symptoms, staying up to date with vaccinations, avoiding close contact with others while unwell and following official updates on the variant.

What do we know of Covid-19
Covid-19 came to the world's attention towards the end of 2019 when unexplained cases of pneumonia were rapidly increasing in Wuhan, China. By March 2020, the World Health Organisation declared it a global pandemic. Ever since, there have been over 780 million deaths according to the WHO Covid-19 dashboard. The public started reporting mild respiratory issues initially, which then slowly started worsening and resulting in deaths.

The virus that was initially detected in respiratory samples from patients in China started being visible in feces, according to JAMA. They concluded, “Transmission of the virus by respiratory and extrarespiratory routes may help explain the rapid spread of disease.”

Like most viruses, SARS-CoV-2 has been changing since the day it was identified. The WHO designated five variants of concern and gave them Greek letter names: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron. Each of these led to waves of cases, and the variants caused concern with repeated surges in cases, hospitalisations and deaths around the globe. Ever since, the virus has kept branching.

Vaccinations
Vaccines were fast to arrive. The very first clinical test was announced in March 2020, just a couple days after the pandemic was declared. Since then, vaccines have been updated to keep up with the virus.

Impact on the economy
The pandemic caused one of the largest economic shocks. The IMF said the “Great lockdown” was worse than the “great depression”. And that says a lot. Countries throughout the globe took a massive hit to their markets, including health crisis, financial crisis and a collapse in commodity prices.

The IMF later estimated that the global economy shrank 3 percent in 2020. The lockdown also produced extended job losses, systemwide financial strains and bankruptcies around the world. No country was spared.

Even though the virus calmed down, the global threat of the disease is far from over, and new variants like PJ.2.1 are proof of that.