COVID JN.1 Variant Spreading Rapidly, But Not Causing Severe Infections, Says Ex-AIIMS Director

Former AIIMS director and senior pulmonologist Dr Randeep Guleria on Saturday said the new Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 is increasingly transmissible but fortunately not leading to severe infections or hospitalizations.

"It is more transmissible, spreading more rapidly, and gradually becoming a dominant variant. It is causing more infections but the data also suggests that it is not causing severe infections or hospitalisations. Most of the symptoms are predominantly in the upper airways, like fever, cough, cold, sore throat, running nose, and body aches," Dr Guleria told news agency ANI.

Although the JN.1 variant, a descendant of Omicron, has been categorized as a 'variant of interest' by the World Health Organization (WHO), the global health body underscored that the overall risk it poses remains low based on current evidence.

Dr. NK Arora, the head of India's SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), mentioned that there's presently no requirement for an additional vaccine dose specific to JN.1. However, he stressed the importance of preventive measures, especially for individuals aged 60 or older, those with underlying health conditions, or those on immunosuppressive medications like cancer patients.

India has recorded 22 cases of this new Covid variant, raising concerns nationwide. The initial case was detected in a 79-year-old woman in Kerala. Of the total cases, 19 have been identified in Goa, with one case each in Kerala and Maharashtra, while details about another case are pending disclosure.

On a separate note, India reported 752 cases in a 24-hour period on Saturday, marking the highest single-day rise since May 21. The count of active cases was reported at 3,420.