WHO classifies JN.1 coronavirus strain as ‘variant of interest’
- The public health risk remains low, however, and current vaccines continue to protect against severe disease and death from JN.1 and other Covid-19 variants
- The strain makes up an estimated 15 per cent to 29 per cent of cases in the US, and some infections have been detected in China
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday classified the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a “variant of interest”, but said it did not pose much threat to public health.
“Based on the available evidence, the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low,” WHO said.
At least two experts told Reuters that while the strain can evade the immune system and transmit more easily than other currently circulating variants, it has not shown any signs of more severe disease.
While there might be more cases with the variant, JN.1 doesn’t pose a greater risk, said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
JN.1 was previously classified a variant of interest as part of its parent lineage BA.2.86, but WHO has now classified it as a separate 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 US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said earlier this month the subvariant JN.1 makes up about an estimated 15 per cent to 29 per cent of cases in the United States as of December 8, according to the agency’s latest projections.
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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.
