JN.1 Now Dominant COVID-19 Strain in China, Health Authorities Say

Commuters wear protective masks as they exit a train at a subway station during Monday rush hour in Beijing, China on April 13, 2020. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Chinese health authorities have said that JN.1 has become the main virus strain causing COVID-19 infections in China amid an ongoing pneumonia outbreak sweeping the country since September 2023.

Monitoring data show a slight increase in COVID-19 cases, with the Omicron JN.1 mutant strain now the dominant epidemic strain in the country, the National Health Commission said at a press briefing on Feb. 4.