How Dangerous Is Jn.1
New sub-variant of Corona increases tension, government takes action, how dangerous?
New Delhi:
IRT CORRESPONDENT
A new variant of Corona has emerged. Its first case has been found in Kerala. This has increased the tension. The government has also come into action. Experts have described it as a rapidly spreading variant. It can also infect those who have already had corona infection. Keeping this in view, preparations are being assessed. Mock drills are being organized in all the health centers of the states. The central government does not want to take any chances in this matter.
J.N. 1 Tension
A case of sub-variant JN.1 of Covid-19 has been reported in Kerala on December 8. The sample of a 79-year-old woman had a positive result in RT-PCR test on November 18. The woman had mild symptoms of common cold-like illnesses (ILI). She had recovered from Covid-19. JN.1 was first identified in Luxembourg. This infection spread in many countries is related to Pirolo form (BA.2.86). Internationally, 3,608 cases of BA.2.86 and its sub-variants have been reported. Most of them are from Europe and North America.
However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said early data shows that the updated COVID-19 vaccines are effective in providing protection against the JN.1 sub-variant.
Precautionary steps are being taken
In view of the increasing cases of Covid-19 infection in Kerala, all precautionary measures have been taken in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramaniam gave this information on Saturday. He said that health department officials have been asked to take necessary steps to stop the spread of the virus. If an increase in cases is seen in a specific area, it has been asked to conduct RTPCR test. Till December 15, 36 cases of infection were reported in Tamil Nadu. According to Covid data available on the central government website, Kerala has reported the highest number of infection cases among Indian states at 1,144.
What do experts say?
Regarding the new variant, Chief Dr. NK Arora of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) has said that there are only a few cases of JN.1. This is a sub-variant of BA.2.86. The Government of India is keeping an eye on this. No hospitalization or serious illness has been reported. At the same time, some other experts say that this is a very fast spreading variant. This is different from the earlier varieties. It can also infect those who have received the corona vaccine.