Amid the ongoing Covid scare with the emergence of new variant JN.1, the Union Health Ministry informed that India on Monday crossed the 4,000-mark, while one death was reported in Kerala. As many as 4,054 active Covid-19 cases were reported in the past 24 hours compared to 3,742 on Sunday.
At least 63 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 were reported in the country till Sunday, including 34 detected in Goa, PTI reported citing its sources. Nine cases have been detected from Maharashtra, eight from Karnataka, six from Kerala, four from Tamil Nadu and two from Telangana.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra logged a total of nine cases of the JN.1 variant on Sunday. The individuals infected by JN.1 in Maharastra include five from Thane city, two from Pune city, and one each from a rural area of Pune district, Akola city, and Sindhudurg district.
Kerala, where the first case of Covid sub-variant JN.1 was detected, recorded the most number of active cases in a single day on Sunday with one death, pushing the nationwide death toll to 5,33,334.
Notably, the central government has said the current spike in Covid-19 cases was not a cause for concern and urged people not to panic. However, the Centre has advised people having comorbidities to wear face masks as a precautionary measure.
WHO Classifies JN.1 As ‘Variant of Interest’
On witnessing the surge in the number of JN.1 variant, the World Health Organization (WHO) last week designated JN.1 as a “variant of interest”, differentiating it from its parent lineage BA.2.86. “Based on the available evidence, the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low,” said WHO, reported Reuters.
All You Need To Know About JN.1 Variant
Raising alarms among health authorities, the JN.1 variant is a descendant of the Pirola variant (BA.2.86). The sub-variant was first identified in Luxembourg and has since spread to several countries.
This variant has only one change to its spike protein compared with its ancestor, but that seems to have been enough to make it a fitter and faster virus, CNN reported.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccinations targeting the spike protein of a virus should also function against JN.1 and BA.2.86. A majority of these cases are clinically mild and the patients are recovering on their own at their homes, without any treatment.
(With agency inputs)
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