Covid Scare Looms Over New Year: States On High Alert, Experts Weigh In On JN.1 — 10 Points

Several states have reported fresh COVID-19 cases with infections from new Omicron sub-variant JN.1. The health ministry has asked the states to increase vigil.

A fresh COVID-19 scare after the discovery of Omicron sub-variant JN.1 has gripped the country bringing back memories from three years back when the world stood still. The sub-variant JN.1 was detected in Kerala a few days back leading to increased surveillance and since then, a spike has been noticed in the number of cases across the country at a time when people are preparing to celebrate the new year. On Thursday, a total of 594 new Covid infections were reported out of which, 300 were from Keala alone. On Wednesday, India reported 21 cases of the JN.1 Covid variant.

The centre has asked states to be vigilant and prepare the hospitals but added there was no need for panic as there is no evidence, as of now, that suggests the sub-variant is lethal. The World Health Organisation recently classified JN.1 as a separate "variant of interest" due to its rapidly increasing spread. However, the UN body said the sub-variant poses a "low" global public health risk. Here's a look at the fresh developments and what the experts have to say.

1. A 41-year-old man has tested positive for new COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, the health department officials said on Wednesday, reported PTI. The patient has mild symptoms of the infectious disease, they added.

2. In Karnataka, two Covid-19 related deaths and 20 fresh cases were reported on Wednesday, according to a Health bulletin. It added that the deceased - both male aged 44 and 76 - died on December 16 and December 17 respectively in Bengaluru. One of them was asymptomatic while the other patient complained of breathlessness.

3. Amid the recent spike in cases, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday directed all stakeholders to take proactive measures to ensure full preparedness to handle any potential scenarios, an official told PTI. The directions were passed by Health and Medical Education Secretary Bhupinder Kumar. So far, no JN.1 case has been reported from any part of Jammu and Kashmir, but the review meeting was held in light of the recent advisory issued by the Union Health Ministry after the new sub-variant's emergence, he said.

Delhi Govt Totally Alert, Says Health Minister

4. Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 is infectious but "mild", adding that the AAP government in the national capital is "totally alert" to tackle the issue. Meanwhile, officials said the Delhi government will ramp up genome surveillance in the town amid surge in cases in the country.

5. Speaking on the new sub-variant, he said, "It's a variant of Omicron. It is mild. It is infectious but not very serious in nature. Nevertheless, the government is making all necessary arrangements, such as oxygen cylinders, ventilator beds and isolation wards for patients -- all these requirements are being reviewed again. The reports of deaths that have come so far are of "patients having co-morbidities" and "nearly 90 per cent of patients are getting cured through home isolation. Very few are requiring oxygen or ventilator".

 

19 Covid Patients In Goa, Minister Says Geared Up To Face Fresh Outbreak

6. The Goa health department has said it is geared up to tackle any fresh outbreak of coronavirus in the tourist state. On Wednesday, State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said Goa currently has 19 COVID-19 patients and all of them have mild symptoms of the infectious disease and none is in serious condition. "No patient of COVID-19 is hospitalised. All have been kept in home isolation as they have mild symptoms," the Goa minister added, quoted PTI.

What Experts Say About Covid-19 Sub-Variant

7. Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Former WHO Chief Scientist: She warned against dismissing Covid as a common cold, reported NDTV. Talking to the news outlet over 30 per cent of pneumonia cases in Kochi hospitals turning out to be Covid positive, she said: "We've been through this many times before, as you know, over the last four years. This is what we expected and this is what the WHO had talked about. Even when WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus announced the end of the global public health emergency in May this year, he did say it is still a global health threat."

8. Swaminathan said the JN.1, is a sub-variant of Omicron so, it behaves like Omicron, which was relatively mild. "But what happens is that every new variant gets some properties of being more transmissible. It is able to evade or avoid the antibody responses that we already have in our system. And therefore it is able to create these waves of infection where it infects people who've already been infected before," she was quoted as saying by NDTV.

9. Chandrakant Lahariya, Senior Consultant Physician And Public Health Expert: Speaking to PTI over increasing Covid-19 cases, he said that viruses keep changing as happens with most respiratory viruses, including the influenza viruses. "Therefore, a sub-variant of SARS CoV-2 is not a surprise at all," he said, quoted PTI. "In India, people have already been exposed to various sub-variants, including Omicron variants, and received at least two shots of COVID-19 vaccines. There is no renewed risk of SARS-CoV-2 variant or sub-variant causing severe illness," Lahariya added.

10. Kartik Vedula, Infectious Diseases Consultant at Hyderabad’s Yashoda Hospitals: He said that JN.1 differs with an additional mutation in the spike protein and studies have shown that JN.1 has enhanced immune evasion properties, with the potential for enhanced transmission. "However, there is no current data that shows new or severe symptoms in JN.1 infected individuals, and the public need not panic," Vedula told PTI.