COVID-19 subvariant JN.1 now in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The new COVID-19 subvariant JN.1 that has been classified as a “variant of interest” is now in the country, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

The DOH reported that there are now 18 JN.1 cases nationwide, with the earliest one detected by genomic sequencing last Nov. 16 and the most recent last Dec. 3.

“There has been no significant increase in the number of severity of cases overall,” the DOH said as it stressed that all of the cases have already recovered.

The agency pointed out that JN.1 is not one of the COVID-19 strains that can be a cause of concern and that there are always new strains of viruses, but only a few become “of concern.”

“It is another Omicron subvariant with no evidence of increased severity or unusual clinical presentation,” the DOH said in a statement.