COVID-19 vaccines are reportedly still effective against the new variant JN.1. (Photo: VOV)
JN.1 is a sub-variant from the BA.2.86 variant of Omicron and classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a “Variant of Interest” (VOI), causing an increasing number of cases and deaths in some countries.

Gene sequencing was conducted by a team of the city’s Hospital for Tropical Diseases and the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU). Samples were taken from 16 COVID patients admitted to the hospital in December. 12 out of the 16 patients were infected with the JN.1 sub-variant, while one was infected with the JN.1.1 variant, two with BA.2.86.1 and one with XDD.

The Health Department has advised the general public to continue taking self-protective measures and get repeated vaccination shots for themselves and their families. It has asked hospitals to be on standby to receive and treat COVID-19 cases based on prepared scenarios.