New Covid Variant JN.1 Is Here. What to Know About Symptoms, Spread

A newer Omicron subvariant is gaining speed, contributing to rising Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations in the U.S. ahead of the winter holidays. 

The World Health Organization classified the variant, JN.1, as a variant of interest on Dec. 19, a step below variant-of-concern status. The variant could cause an increase in cases amid a busy season for other infections, the WHO said, but isn’t expected to increase strain on health systems more than the other circulating Covid-19 strains.