CDC says JN.1 variant accounts for about 86% of COVID cases in US

(Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday estimated COVID subvariant JN.1 to account for about 85.7% of cases in the United States, as of Jan. 19.

The agency said JN.1 remains the most widely circulating variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the country and globally.

There is no evidence at present that JN.1 causes more severe disease than other variants, the CDC said, adding that currently available vaccines are expected to increase protection against the variant.

JN.1, which traces its lineage back to BA.2.86, was classified a "variant of interest" by the World Health Organization in December.

The predicted range of 83% to 88% marks an increase from the estimated prevalence of 55% to 68% of cases in the U.S., as per the agency's projections from Jan. 5.

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)