The Department of Health (DOH) said Sunday it has recorded 18 cases of the JN.1 COVID-19 variant in the country.

According to the health bureau, the earliest sample collected was from November 16 and the most recent one was last December 3.

The DOH also said there has been "no significant increase in the number or severity of cases overall" and that all of the 18 cases have already recovered.

It also did not find any evidence that the said variant spreads faster, echoing an earlier claim from an expert that the variant is not a cause for panic.

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"[The JN.1] is another omicron subvariant with no evidence of increased severity or unusual clinical presentation."

It added that the World Health Organization (WHO) only classified JN.1 as a variant "of interest" and not as a variant "of concern."

"[O]nly a few [variants and strains] become 'of concern.' JN.1 is not one of those... WHO sees it as 'of interest,' as it needs to be closely observed and studied by epidemiologists and researchers worldwide."

The health department also reiterated its campaign to use multiple layers of protection to avoid contracting the COVID-19 or any of its variants this holiday season.

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