WHO says JN.1 subvariant is 'of interest,' but public risk is low

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday classified the JN.1 variant of the coronavirus as a “variant of interest” but said there wasn’t much of a 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.

Still, the agency cautioned that with the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, JN.1 “could increase the burden of respiratory infections in many countries."

JN.1 first emerged in the U.S. in September, and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it now accounts for about 20 percent of all COVID-19 cases. It’s currently the dominant variant in the Northeast, where it is estimated to cause about a third of new infections, the agency said.

The prevalence of JN.1 more than doubled between late November and mid-December, according to agency estimates, likely aided by holiday travel and gatherings. But it does not appear to be driving increases in hospitalizations.

Scientists and the CDC have said JN.1 is likely more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems than other circulating variants, but the public health risk overall is low, and it is unlikely that the subvariant will reach levels seen in the omicron or delta waves. There is also no indication of increased severity from JN.1, CDC said.

“At this time, there is no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health relative to other currently circulating variants,” the agency said in its most recent update on Dec. 8.

Like other previous variants of the coronavirus, it is not possible to know whether JN.1 produces different symptoms. Viruses are constantly changing over time, and JN.1 is just the latest variant to spread.

Experts and officials have said there will be other variants and urged more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as well as flu and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, if they’re at risk.

Only 18 percent of adults have received the newest COVID-19 vaccine, and the CDC warned hospitalizations among all age groups are rising. Rates increased by 200 percent for influenza, 51 percent for COVID-19 and 60 percent for RSV over the past month, the agency said.

"Millions of people may get sick in the next month or two, and low vaccination rates means more people will get more severe disease,” the agency said.