The JN.1 Variant of SARS-CoV-2: Public Health Alert or Controlled Threat?

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Anita Khokhar
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8551-5876

Abstract

The recent global rise in cases associated with the JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2, a sub lineage of the Omicron variant, calls for urgent scholarly and public health attention. Identified initially in late 2023, JN.1 has rapidly gained prevalence and, by early 2024, became the most dominant circulating strain globally, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (1).


As of mid-December 2023, JN.1 was detected in 41 countries, constituting over 27% of global sequences submitted to GISAID (2). Its increasing dominance can be attributed to mutations that confer heightened transmissibility and partial immune evasion. Despite this, available evidence suggests that JN.1 does not lead to more severe disease outcomes compared to its predecessors (1,3).

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Letter to Editor

How to Cite

1.
The JN.1 Variant of SARS-CoV-2: Public Health Alert or Controlled Threat?. JEFI [Internet]. 2025 Jun. 30 [cited 2025 Sep. 28];3(2):224-5. Available from: https://efi.org.in/journal/index.php/JEFI/article/view/266

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 activity increases as prevalence of JN.1 variant continues to rise (Internet). 2024 Jan 5 (cited 2025 May 25). Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/ncird/whats-new/JN.1-update-2024-01-05.html

2. Banerjee D, Debnath P, Ghosh S, Ghosh A, Sharma V, Mohapatra S, et al. JN.1—a new SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern or an unnecessary scare? Bull Natl Res Cent. 2024;48(1):42.

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What we know about the JN.1 lineage (Internet). 2024 (cited 2025 May 25). Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/ncird/whats-new/JN.1-update-2024-01-05.html

4. Navbharat Times. COVID-19 cases rising: Know JN.1 variant symptoms (Internet). 2025 (cited 2025 May 25). Available from: https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com

5. World Health Organization. COVID-19 epidemiological update – 14 March 2025 (Internet). 2025 Mar 14 (cited 2025 May 25). Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/covid-19-epidemiological-update-14-march-2025

6. National Institutes of Health. COVID-19 treatment guidelines (Internet). (cited 2025 May 25). Available from: https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov

7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Interim estimates of 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (Internet). (cited 2025 May 25). Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/wr/mm7406a1.htm

8. Metropolis Healthcare. JN.1 variant of COVID-19: prevention tips (Internet). (cited 2025 May 25). Available from: https://www.metropolisindia.com

9. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. VRBPAC meeting summary, May 2025 (Internet). 2025 May 22 (cited 2025 May 25). Available from: https://www.fda.gov/media/186594/download

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