WHO classifies JN.1 strain as ‘variant of interest’
The agency said that there was no current evidence that the variant poses a threat to public health
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the JN.1 Covid-19 strain as a ‘variant of interest’, but has stated that current evidence shows that its risk to public health is low.
JN.1 was previously classified as an Omicron subtype of the BA.2.86 parent lineage, but has now been classified as a separate variant of interest.
The WHO has said that current vaccines should still be protective against JN.1 and other circulating Covid-19 variants.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated earlier this month that JN.1 makes up approximately 15–29 per cent of cases in the US as of 8 December, according to the agency’s current projections.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) held its annual meeting of national focus points in Stockholm earlier this year. Areas of discussion included threat detection, early warning and response systems.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor for Voyageur Group, joining in 2021. He writes for both ITIJ and AirMed&Rescue, covering a range of topics including international travel and health insurance, medical assistance provision and air medical transportation. He also serves as Title Editor of the Assistance & Repatriation Reviews. Oliver holds an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University, as well as a BA in English with Creative Writing from Falmouth University.
February 2025
Issue
Offering readers a deep dive into the issues facing providers and payers of healthcare services around the world. Cost containment, international patient department development, the role of AI in healthcare delivery and more.
