PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has detected the first four cases of the new COVID-19 JN.1 variant, which is the "descendant of the highly mutated BA.2.86 lineage," the country's health ministry announced.

"The results obtained from the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia on Dec. 28 confirmed that four persons tested positive for the COVID-19 JN.1 variant," the ministry said, Xinhua news agency reported.

"All of them have received treatment and recovered, but they are still required to undergo self-quarantine at their respective homes," it added.

The ministry said the COVID-19 JN.1 variant has been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a "variant of interest," not a "variant of concern."

The JN.1 strain was first detected in the United States in September.

The WHO designated the JN.1 strain as a separate variant of interest from the parent lineage BA.2.86.

The JN.1 variant is considered to be of "low risk" for public health, according to the WHO.