Covid JN.1 Sub-Variant: Authorities Step Up In Pune

Another wave of COVID-19 infection is seemingly set to hit India as the number of active cases is consistently going up. As per the data released by the Union Health Ministry, 594 new cases of infection were reported across the country today, taking the toll of active cases up to 2,669. To tackle the possible spike, surveillance measures are already underway in cities like Pune, especially after the guidelines given by the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. 

Surveillance Measures In Pune

On Wednesday, a meeting was conducted by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya with all the state health ministers to assess the present condition of COVID-19 in the country and the concern regarding the new sub-variant, JN.1. The meeting was followed by a tweet from the ministry urging the states to be prepared with mock drills of hospital preparedness, increased surveillance, and effective communication with people. 

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Sticking to the advisory, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has already started taking measures to combat any upcoming wave of infection. In the wake of increasing JN.1 cases in the country, PMC has started the process of screening all the passengers at the Pune airport. The monitoring of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) cases has also been more strict and daily testing of Covid-19 samples has been increased to 300 tests.

JN.1 Labelled As Variant Of Interest By WHO

JN.1 is a newly discovered subvariant of the Covid-19 Omicron strain. It is currently making headlines for allegedly starting a possible new wave of covid infections. WHO has recently classified it as a ‘variant of interest’ based on its rapidly increasing speed. In order to be classified as a ‘variant of interest’, the strain needs to have some alterations in its genes based on the speed of transmission or effectiveness of treatment, the latter being the case with JN.1. 

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Despite it being classified differently, WHO has reassured that the new sub-strain poses a low risk to public health. However, it is still advised to take precautions, use masks in crowded locations, and maintain distance from people with any symptoms of respiratory issues, along with comorbidities.