There is no indication of increased severity from JN.1 at this point of time, says note.
The Health Ministry note emphasises the need for sticking to respiratory hygiene norms.
As the number of cases of the new Covid-19 sub-variant, JN.1, goes up in Kerala and 15 cases of the JN.1 variant were detected in samples from Goa, the Health Ministry has said it is not known yet if an infection caused by it produces different symptoms or whether it is more severe than other variants.
“In general, symptoms of COVID-19 tend to be similar across variants. There is no indication of increased severity from JN.1. At this time, there is no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health relative to other currently circulating variants,” it said in a release.
Are the elderly and the co-morbid at an increased risk?
No more than from any other variant of COVID-19, say experts. Dr
GC Khilnani, chairman of PSRI Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep
Medicine and former head of the department of pulmonology at AIIMS, said: “Most
people in India have had the infection at least two or three times. And, more
than 95 per cent of the people have received at least two doses of the vaccine.
Therefore, the probability of severe disease is low.”
He added for those who are old and co-morbid, general precautions such as washing hands frequently and avoiding crowded areas during the festive season are enough. “They may don an N95 mask if they have to go to some crowded area; it will protect them from pollution, Covid-19, and any other respiratory infection,” he said.
The masks are back: Singapore records 56,000 more Covid-19 cases, new subvariant JN.1 found in China, India
What should be the line of treatment?
The existing treatment line for COVID-19 is expected to be
effective against JN.1 infection. “Updated COVID-19 vaccines are expected to
increase protection against JN.1, as they do for other variants,” the note
added.
What’s the easiest way to test JN.1?
The RT-PCR tests continue to be the most trusted method of
detecting the new sub-variant, says the Health Ministry.
Should we be more alert for the new year celebrations?
The Health Ministry note emphasises the need for sticking to
respiratory hygiene norms. “Considering the upcoming festive season, there is a
need to put in place requisite public health measures and other arrangements to
minimise risk of transmission of the disease by adherence to maintenance of
respiratory hygiene.” This means returning to masking in enclosed and crowded
spaces, frequent hand-washing, particularly before touching the face and mouth
as well as social distancing.
Even states are keeping up vigil with the Karnataka government asking the elderly (above 60 years) and those with comorbidities to mandatorily wear face masks in the wake of symptoms like cough, phlegm and fever. It is also avidly testing symptoms in suspected cases and heightened surveillance in border districts.
The Health Ministry is following the old routine of intensified surveillance at the laboratory, community and sewage levels. It has called for monitoring and reporting of district-wise influenza-like illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases at all health facilities on a regular basis, including uploads at the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal. This is necessary for detecting the early rising trend of cases.
The Ministry, which is already doing a mock drill of preparedness to take on a public health challenge, is monitoring the situation across states at the district level.
The JN.1 is raising concern globally because of its immunity-evading capacity that’s fuelling a rapid spread. Outbreaks have been reported in the US, China and Singapore. JN.1 is a descendant of the BA.2.86 lineage (Pirola) of SARS CoV2.
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