Newest Covid-19 variant officially detected in Oman

Countries across the globe might have completely moved on from the Covid-19 pandemic in recent years, but that doesn’t mean that the virus has gone away.

This week, the latest Covid-19 variant, dubbed ‘JN.1’, was officially detected in several cases in Oman, according to a Times of Oman report that quoted a senior official from the Ministry of Health.

The official, though, told the newspaper that the Covid-19 patients had experienced mild symptoms and that all of them have recovered.

“The Sultanate of Oman takes all necessary surveillance and prevention measures throughout the year. The global spread of the new variant of Covid-19 JN.1 does not pose a significant risk to public health,” the official added.

World watching JN.1 closely

Just last month, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced that JN.1 accounted for 44 per cent of all Covid-19 cases in the United States.

On Dec. 18, the World Health Organisation named JN.1 as the latest “variant of interest,” meaning it has genetic changes that could give it an advantage and that its prevalence is growing globally.

“Considering the available, yet limited evidence, the additional public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low at the global level. It is anticipated that this variant may cause an increase in SARS-CoV-2 cases amid surge of infections of other viral and bacterial infections, especially in countries entering the winter season,” said the WHO in a statement.