JN.1 is a descendant lineage of BA.2.86, with the earliest sample collected on 25 August 2023, JN.1 has been reported in many countries in recent weeks, and its prevalence has been rising quickly worldwide, On 28 December 2023, the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population announced that two patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 JN.1 variant infection, the two cases were mild infections and did not need hospitalization or Intensive Care Unit. BA.2.86.1 (JN.1's parent lineage) replication kinetics on primary nasal epithelial cells (hNEC). WHO reported that the Level of risk is low, as currently there are no reports of elevated disease severity associated with this variant, JN.1 in comparison with parent BA.2.86 lineage carries the additional spike mutation L455S that significantly enhances immune evasion capabilities.
WHO Recommendations for COVID-19 Vaccine Antigen Composition Given the current SARS-CoV-2 evolution and the breadth of immune responses demonstrated by monovalent XBB.1.5 vaccines, there is only limited data on the cross-neutralization of JN.1 so vaccination programs can continue to use any of the WHO emergency-use listed or prequalified COVID-19 vaccines.