Covid-19: WHO adds JN.1 as new variant of interest

The World Health Organization has added a new covid-19 strain, JN.1, to its list of “variants of interest,” its second highest level of monitoring.Itself an offshoot of the omicron subvariant BA.2.86 (nicknamed “Pirola” by the media),1 JN.1 is described by WHO as posing a “low” risk to global public health. The agency warned, however, that the winter season in the northern hemisphere could increase the burden of respiratory infections in many countries.Having made up just 3% of infections in early November, JN.1 is now responsible for over 27%, WHO said.2JN.1 was first detected in 12 countries in September, the highest proportions being in Canada, France, Singapore, Sweden, the UK, and the US. The UK Health Security Agency has told the BBC that JN.1 is found in about 7% of the positive covid-19 tests analysed.3Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that JN.1 is the fastest…
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