The World Health Organization: the risk of the spread of a new strain of the PJ.2.1 coronavirus is increasing globally "Since its first detection in May 2026, this variant has spread across several continents, and as cross-border movements of people continue, the risk of it entering countries is only increasing," the Russian office of the World Health Organization told RIA Novosti. Currently, there are no published clinical data indicating that infection caused by the new strain leads to more severe outcomes compared to other recently identified variants of SARS-CoV-2, Mee explained. Read more max | |.