JN.1 scare: India sees uptick in Covid cases; 109 more test positive

JN.1 subvariant: As per the Health Ministry, India witnessed an upswing in JN.1 subvariant cases and reported 109 fresh cases with Gujarat recording the highest number of instances as of now.

According to the data, Gujarat recorded 36 cases, Karnataka with 34 cases, 14 from Goa, 9 from Maharashtra, six from Kerala, four from Rajasthan, four from Tamil Nadu and two from Telangana. 

Despite the detections, no clustering of cases has been reported thus far. The health authorities assured that all cases of the JN.1 subvariant exhibited mild symptoms. The cases may flourish because it is more infectious than the normal Covid virus but precautions and prevention are better than cures. 

Also Read: Surge in Covid-19 cases: ‘Surveillance should be done not only for Covid-19 cases but also for other diseases,’ says health expert

Moreover, India also witnessed an increase in cases of respiratory illness due to weather changes, viral illness and an increase in pollution in the national capital. 

The health experts and doctors also stated that if someone is having a high fever with respiratory symptoms like chest pain, breathlessness and a fall in spo2 (by pulse oximeter), less than 94 per cent are signs prompting urgent consultation from a doctor or reaching emergency at a nearby hospital.

"The new variant is a little milder, and sometimes people don't even have fever, muscle pains, body aches, bone pains, breathlessness, or coughs primarily. So there's a little variation in the symptoms," health expert stated. 

Also Read: COVID-19 variants JN.1, Omicron, BA.2, BA.5: Detected in December, why?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently classified JN.1 as a variant of interest, distinct from its parent lineage BA.2.86. However, the global health body emphasised that the overall risk posed by JN.1 remains low based on current evidence.

Due to its rapidly increasing spread, WHO is classifying the variant JN.1 as a separate variant of interest (VOI) from the parent lineage BA.2.86. It was previously classified as VOI as part of BA.2.86 sublineages
                                 

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