Covid JN.1 Variant Updates: India Sees 22 Cases; Centre Order Genome Sequencing

India has reported a total of 22 cases of Covid-19 subvariant JN.1 so far, forcing health departments to take necessary precautions to prevent the virus from spreading. However, according to officials, there have been no reports of clustering of cases till now, and all the cases of the JN.1 subvariant have mild symptoms.

In view of the sudden spike in cases in several states, the Centre on Friday directed states to send samples of all Covid positive test swabs for whole genome sequencing to identify the set of mutations.

India recorded 640 new Covid cases in the past 24 hours on Friday, taking the active tally to 2,997. The total death toll was recorded at 5,33,328 with one death from Kerala. The country’s Covid case tally is at 4.5 crore.

Here are the latest updates on Covid-19:

The affected states that have shown a slightly larger increase in Covid cases in the country are – Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Goa, Puducherry, Gujarat, Telangana, Punjab, and Delhi.

Amid the rising cases, several states are coming up with individual surveillance guidelines as a precautionary measure.

According to Kerala health minister Veena George, the number of testing of Covid samples in the state is high compared to other states, however, the situation is under control. “There is nothing to worry about. We have found a slight increase in the number of Covid cases. A state-level meeting and a ministerial-level meeting were held. We decided to start genomic sequencing back in November,” she said.

Karnataka health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao also said there is no need to panic currently. He, however, urged people to take precautionary measures by wearing masks in crowded places. Addressing the media on Friday, Rao said that no restrictions would be imposed yet.

In view of the rising cases, Rajasthan officials have formed a state-level team for the prevention and control of Covid-19 infection.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday chaired a high-level meeting. During the meeting, Kumar directed officials to ramp up the testing rate and ensure adequate availability of drugs, equipment, oxygen cylinders, and manpower in all hospitals. He also called for the spread of awareness about Covid-appropriate behaviour through social media and other channels.

According to government data, around 93 per cent of those infected with the new variant of Covid have mild symptoms and are isolating at home. Among those who are undergoing treatment at various hospitals across the country, only 0.1 per cent of people are on ventilator support, 1.2 per cent are admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU), and 0.6 per cent are on oxygen support.

Former World Health Organisation (WHO) chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan has said there is no need to panic since it is a “variant of interest and not of concern”.