According to the CDC, JN.1 was first discovered in the United States in September.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday classified the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a “variant of interest” but said it did not pose a major threat to public health.
“Based on the available evidence, the additional global public health risk from JN.1 is currently assessed as low,” the WHO said.
JN.1 was previously classified as a variant of interest as part of its parent line BA.2.86.
The United Nations agency said current vaccines continue to protect against severe illness and death from JN.1 and other circulating variants of the COVID-19 virus.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced earlier this month that the JN.1 subvariant is estimated to account for about 15% to 29% of cases in the United States, according to the agency's latest projections as of Dec. 8 .
It added that there is currently no evidence that JN.1 poses an increased risk to public health compared to other variants currently circulating, and that an updated vaccination could protect Americans from the variant.
According to the CDC, JN.1 was first discovered in the United States in September.
Last week, China detected seven infections with the COVID subvariant.
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