New Delhi: The southern Indian state of Karnataka has ordered people over the age of 60, those suffering from heart and kidney disease, and those with fever, phlegm and colds to wear masks due to fears of the JN. 1 subvariant.
The state government has issued an order to this effect on Tuesday following the detection of the JN.1 subvariant of the coronavirus in Kerala.
The Telangana government, meanwhile, alerted all hospitals in the state over JN.1 sub-variant with an advisory.
“JN. 1 is a subvariant of Omicron. There have been many cases in Kerala. Our state government has issued an alert to all hospitals in the state. If there are cases of influenza-like illness or severe acute respiratory illness, we want to monitor them, develop their tests, keep them in isolation rooms, wear masks, and have medications on hand,” Dr. M. Raja Rao, Supplementary Director of Medical Education (DME) and Director of Gandhi Hospital in Telangana.
Rao said that the Gandhi Hospital is well-equipped to deal with the new sub-variant of coronavirus and there is no need to worry.
“There are no cases of JN.1 variant in Telangana and usually after the pandemic, we get one or two cases in a week here at Gandhi Hospital. Today no cases were reported. Even if cases of this variant are reported we are ready for treatment whether in terms of beds, medication, or equipment. There is no need to worry,” the Additional DME said.
The COVID-19 scenario in India remains under control, with the number of active cases at 1,828 on Monday. However, one death has been reported in Kerala, where the JN. 1 subvariant of the coronavirus was recently detected. JN. 1 was first detected in September 2023 in the United States.
In the wake of respiratory illnesses and the new JN. 1 subvariant of COVID, the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that the virus is evolving and transforming and has suggested member states continue rigorous surveillance and series sharing.
In the meantime, the federal government has issued a statement to state governments urging them to take good enough precautionary measures.
“Looking ahead to the upcoming holiday season, it is necessary to adopt public health measures and other provisions to minimize the threat of further transmission of the disease, while respecting the maintenance of respiratory hygiene,” the notice reads.
The government also ordered states to monitor the respiratory disease outbreak at the district level.
“Ensure monitoring and reporting of district-wise influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory illness cases in all health facilities on a regular basis including in the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal, for detecting the early rising trend of cases”, it said.
The central government has further asked the state leadership to provide Covid in accordance with the established guidelines.
“Ensure a higher number of RT-PCR tests and send the positive samples for genome sequencing to the Indian SARS COV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) laboratories so as to enable timely detection of new variants, if any,” the advisory read further.
“Promote community awareness to seek their continued support in managing COVID-19, including adherence to respiratory hygiene”, it added.
The Union Ministry of Health is in normal contact with the Kerala State Department of Health and monitors the access points.
Earlier on Saturday, ANI first reported the JN. 1 subvariant of Covid-19 detected in Kerala, which is a descendant of BA. 2. 86. The SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium of India (INSACOG), a network of genomics laboratories, has been actively monitoring the genomic facets of COVID-19 in India. JN. 1 first detected in September 2023 in the United States.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the virus is evolving and transforming and suggested member states continue rigorous surveillance and share footage.
The global body also shared a video of its COVID-19 technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove, who explained the reason for the recent surges and what precautions can be taken.
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