COVID Variant JN.1 Listed as ‘Variant of Interest’

This electron microscope image made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the spherical particles of the new coronavirus, colourized blue, from the first U.S. case of COVID-19. (The Canadian Press/AP-Hannah A. Bullock, Azaibi Tamin/CDC via AP)

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday listed the COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 as a “variant of interest” but the U.N. agency and some health officials say that there is currently no evidence suggesting it’s more severe or a significant health risk.

Due to “limited evidence” that is currently available, the U.N. agency said that the variant “may cause an increase in SARS-CoV-2 cases amid surge of infections of other viral and bacterial infections, especially in countries entering the winter season,” referring to the virus that causes COVID-19.

Despite the recent classification, WHO says that JN.1 likely poses a low risk compared with other COVID-19 variants.

“The spread of this variant will unlikely increase the burden on national public health systems compared to other Omicron sublineages,” WHO said. “However, countries approaching the winter season should be aware that, altogether, SARS-CoV-2 and co-circulating pathogens may exacerbate the respiratory disease burden.”

JN.1 now joins other Omicron sub-variants including BA.2.86, XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, EG.5, and BA.2.86 that were deemed variants of interest. WHO lists variants under three categories: variants under monitoring, which is the lowest level; variants of interest; and variants of concern, or the highest level.

JN.1 was previously classified a variant of interest as part of its parent lineage BA.2.86, but WHO has now classified it as a separate variant of interest.

A recent update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said JN.1 is currently believed to account for between 15 and 29 percent of new U.S. cases, while other CDC reports have indicated that the Northeast U.S. is the area with the highest percentage of JN.1 cases.

Low Risk

While there might be more cases with the variant, JN.1 doesn’t pose a greater risk, said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“As we observe the rise of the JN.1 variant, it’s important to note that while it may be spreading more widely, there is currently no significant evidence suggesting it is more severe or that it poses a substantial public health risk,” Dr. John Brownstein, the chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, told ABC News.

The CDC had said currently there was no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health relative to other currently circulating variants and an updated shot could keep Americans protected against the variant. JN.1 was first detected in the United States in September, according to the CDC.

Early data from Belgium and Singapore suggested that JN.1 might also trigger a lower risk of hospitalizations, including in “elderly and younger cases,” the WHO said. “Currently there are no reports of elevated disease severity associated with this variant,” it added.

Symptoms?

There is no evidence that JN.1 causes significantly different symptoms than other variants that are circulating, the CDC said. Like with other variants, many people may easily mistake symptoms of a COVID-19 case with other illnesses such as the common cold, influenza, RSV, or other wintertime infections.

Symptoms of a JN.1 COVID-19 infection might include cough, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, fever, loss of taste or smell, runny nose, brain fog, fatigue, muscle aches, and congestion.

CDC Alert

Last week, the CDC also said that hospitals and emergency rooms could be overwhelmed due to influenza and COVID-19. The agency’s historical trends show that while U.S.-wide COVID-19 hospitalizations have ticked up in recent weeks, the increase is nowhere near previous “surges” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 23,400 people were hospitalized for the virus as of Dec. 9, while on Dec. 11, 2022—about a year ago—more than 54,000 people were in the hospital for COVID-19.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen testifies before the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee in Washington on Nov. 30, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising quickly,” the federal agency said in a weekly update. “Since the summer, public health officials have been tracking a rise in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which is caused by COVID-19. Influenza activity is growing in most parts of the country. RSV activity remains high in many areas.”

Meanwhile, CDC Director Mandy Cohen told ABC News last week that her agency believes the United States has hit the “peak” for RSV hospitalizations, “which means we’re seeing the most number of cases we expect in the season, may start to see some declines already in some of our southern and southeast states, but pretty active across the country.”

The agency chief said only a small number of hospitals are experiencing a strain due to respiratory viruses like RSV or COVID-19. Pediatric hospitals, she said, have also been managed to treat RSV patients.

The CDC on Dec. 14 also sent out a health advisory to health care providers urge people to get influenza, COVID-19, or RSV vaccines due to “low vaccination rates” across the United States.

Reuters contributed to this report.