TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The World Health Organization (WHO) classified the JN.1 virus variant of COVID-19 as a "variant of interest" on Tuesday, Dec. 19. The variant of interest is defined as strains that are worrying enough to trigger stepped-up investigations of the variant.

The WHO also reported that the risk of infection by the variant was still low based on current evidence.

While the strain can evade the immune system and spread more quickly than other existing variants, two experts told Reuters that JN.1 has not yet displayed any symptoms of a more serious illness.

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

WHO also said that current COVID-19 vaccinations will keep people safe from severe disease and death from JN.1 and other virus variants that remain circulating.

Early December, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projected that the subvariant JN.1 accounts for around 15 percent to 29 percent of COVID-19 cases in the United States as of Dec. 8.

The CDC said there is no proof that JN.1 poses a greater risk to public health than other COVID-19 variants that are already in circulation, and booster vaccines may keep people protected.

On Tuesday, Dec. 19, Indonesian Health Ministry's Director General of Disease Prevention and Control, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, announced that one case each of the infection with the JN.1 variant was found in South Jakarta on Nov. 11, in East Jakarta on Nov. 23, and in Batam of Riau Islands on Dec. 13.

On Dec. 18, the government recorded 2,243 new cases of COVID-19 with two deaths in Indonesia. The ministry thus urges people to complete the COVID-19 vaccination to avoid the risk of disease transmission ahead of the 2023 Christmas and New Year holidays.

ANTARA | REUTERS

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