Kerala reports surge in Covid cases and studies take up a case of the JN.1 subvariantMaharashtra has stepped up surveillance and directed district health authorities to assess hospital readiness. “So far we have not reported any case of the JN.1 subvariant,” said Dr. Pratapsingh Sarnikar, joint director of health and communicable diseases, Maharashtra, told The Indian Express.
The number of Covid-19 cases in Kerala has been witnessing a rise in the last few weeks. This is due to increasing numbers of influenza-like illness (ILI) samples being referred for testing. Most of these cases are clinically mild and resolve on their own at home without treatment. However, with the upcoming holidays, there is a need to take public health measures and other precautions to minimize the risk of transmission by maintaining respiratory hygiene, the Center said in its statement, given the recent surge in Covid-19 cases and discovery of the first case of the JN .1 variant in India.
According to Dr. Sarnikar, district health officers, civil surgeons and medical health officers have been directed to monitor Covid-19/influenza cases regularly. Isolation wards were set up in state hospitals and mandatory medical examinations for flu deaths were recommended. According to the Maharashtra Health Department on December 15, there were 20 Covid cases in the state.
From January 1st to mid-December, a total of 134 Covid-19 deaths were registered.
Dr. Rajesh Karyakarte, genome sequencing coordinator for Maharashtra, said they would start wastewater collection along with the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) authorities. “We are also looking for positive samples for genome sequencing to enable timely detection of new variants,” said Dr. Karya card.
In the meantime, Dr. Shashank Joshi posted on X (formerly Twitter) that JN 1- (BA.2.86) is an old Grand derivative of Omicron. “The World Health Organization recently classified it as a variant of interest and accounts for about 25 to 27 percent of Covid-19 cases tested worldwide. There are now a few cases circulating in India. Vigilance and monitoring are key,” said Dr. Joshi, former dean of the Indian College of Physicians.
Dr. Sujeet Singh, former director of the National Center for Disease Control Dr. Sujeet Singh, said on Monday that JN.1, a sublineage of the Omicron subvariant BA.2.86, has not seen any increase in hospitalizations so far.
“NCDC tracks hospitalizations. “However, a certain level of precaution needs to be taken as vaccine immunity may have waned,” said Dr. Singh. According to Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan – Co-Chairman, National Task Force, IMA – “Covid 19 is one of several causes of respiratory disease this season. Influenza is still the main culprit, but as JN.1 spreads across countries, we are simultaneously seeing an increase in the proportion of respiratory illnesses caused by Covid. “We need to monitor week by week as this sub-variant is extremely immunovasive – meaning it is able to overcome an immune response to a previous vaccination or infection, or both – and symptoms include sore throat, body aches and fatigue.” In some cases, loss of smell and taste may occur. However, very few develop pneumonia,” said Dr. Jayadevan.