WHO Says Risk 'Low' , From COVID Strain Deemed , 'Variant of Interest'.
'The Independent' reports that the JN.1 variant of COVID-19
has been classified as a "variant of interest" by officials
who added that it poses a minor threat to public health.
On December 19, the World Health Organization
(WHO) said that the risk from the JN.1 variant
remains "low," based on current evidence.
Previously, this variant was classified as
a variant of interest due to its lineage with
the Omicron variant, otherwise known as BA.2.86.
According to the WHO, current vaccines continue to
offer protection from severe disease and death from
JN.1 and other COVID variants currently in circulation.
According to the WHO, current vaccines continue to
offer protection from severe disease and death from
JN.1 and other COVID variants currently in circulation.
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention said that the JN.1 subvariant accounts
for an estimated 15% to 29% of current cases in the U.S.
In August, JN.1 was first detected in Luxembourg,
before later being detected in other countries
that included the U.S., U.K. and France.
Last week, seven cases of the JN.1
subvariant were detected in China.
According to the most recent data, COVID cases
are also on the rise in England, with 5,975 new
cases reported in the week ending December 9. .
'The Independent' reports that JN.1 has been
deemed "of interest" by the UK Health Security
Agency (UKHSA) due to its mutation and , "increasing prevalence within
the UK and international data.".
According to the head of primary care and public health
at Imperial College London, Prof Azeem Majeed, JN.1 , “appears to be the fastest growing
variant in the UK at the moment.”