Beware of new COVID strain , warns WHO!

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a “variant of interest.” However, the organization has stated that it does not pose a significant threat to public health, and the global public health risk associated with JN.1 is currently evaluated as low.

JN.1 was previously classified as a variant of interest as part of its parent lineage BA.2.86. The WHO mentioned that current vaccines continue to provide protection against severe disease and death from JN.1 and other circulating variants of the COVID-19 virus.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the subvariant JN.1 constitutes an estimated 15% to 29% of cases in the United States as of December 8. The CDC emphasized that there is no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health compared to other currently circulating variants, and an updated vaccine could provide protection against the variant.

JN.1 was initially detected in the US in September, and China reported seven infections of the COVID subvariant last week.