The World Health Organisation (WHO) classified the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a “variant of interest” on Tuesday, stating that current evidence indicates the strain poses little risk to public health.
According to at least two experts, while the strain can evade the immune system and spread more easily than other currently circulating variants, it has not yet shown signs of more severe disease.
While there may be more cases, JN.1 does not pose a higher risk, according to Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
JN.1 was previously classified as a variant of interest as part of its parent lineage BA.2.86, but WHO now recognises it as a distinct variant of interest.
WHO said current vaccines will continue to protect against severe disease and death from JN.1 and other circulating variants of the COVID-19 virus.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said earlier this month the subvariant JN.1 makes up about an estimated 15% to 29% of cases in the United States as of Dec. 8, according to the agency’s latest projections.
The CDC had said currently there was no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health relative to other currently circulating variants and an updated shot could keep Americans protected against the variant.
JN.1 was first detected in the United States in September, according to the CDC.
Last week, China detected seven infections of the COVID subvariant.
Source: Reuters
