evidence: For months, BA.2.86 failed to gain much of a foothold around the world, despite being detected infecting people across dozens of countries after its discovery. [...] Variants grouped under the BA.2.86 umbrella, which include JN.1, have also made up the largest share of variants detected from the CDC's airport testing program on arriving international travelers in recent weeks. The CDC's own variant classifications have not been updated since September, when BA.2.86 was first deemed a "variant being monitored," the lowest classification for potentially concerning variants.