- A sub-variant of the Omicron strain of coronavirus has been classified as a “variant of interest” by the World Health Organization, because of “its rapidly increasing spread”.
- JN.1 has been found in many countries around the world, including India, China, UK, and the United States.
- The risk to the public is currently low and current vaccines continue to offer protection, the WHO says.
- But it warns Covid and other infections could rise this winter.
- Respiratory viruses such as flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and childhood pneumonia are also on the rise in the Northern Hemisphere.
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The virus that causes COVID-19 is constantly changing over time and sometimes this leads to new variants developing. - Omicron has been the globally dominant variant for some time.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently tracking a number of variants of interest linked to Omicron – including JN.1 – although none of them are deemed to be concerning.
- But JN.1 is spreading quickly in many corners of the world.
- It is currently the fastest-growing variant in the United States, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, accounting for 15-29% of infections.
- The UK Health Security Agency says JN.1 currently makes up around 7% of positive Covid tests analyzed in a lab. It said it would continue to monitor all available data on this and other variants.
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