“JN.1 is a fast-spreading variant, it could go into the next tier of the population, which is the vulnerable age group, older people and also people with multiple comorbidities. In such individuals, their underlying conditions can destabilise and could result in their hospitalisation and complications after that,” the health expert said
New Delhi:
Amid the emergence of a fresh coronavirus subvariant JN.1, Co-Chair, IMA COVID Task Force Dr Rajeev Jayadevan on Thursday said that the new strain can be problematic for people of old age and those with multiple comorbidities.
India on Thursday reported 594 fresh Covid-19 cases in a day. On Wednesday, the Union Health Ministry officials revealed that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is actively engaged in the genome sequencing of the recently identified JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2.
“JN.1 is a fast-spreading variant, it could go into the next tier of the population, which is the vulnerable age group, older people and also people with multiple comorbidities. In such individuals, their underlying conditions can destabilise and could result in their hospitalisation and complications after that,” the health expert said.
He said a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases has been seen from November.
The total Covid cases reported nationwide till 8 am on Wednesday was 341, of which Kerala alone accounted for 292, Delhi and Gujarat reported 3 each, Karnataka logged 9 cases, Telangana and Puducherry 4 each, Tamil Nadu 13 and Maharashtra 11, according to data by the Union Health ministry. The total number of deaths reported in Kerala since the outbreak of the pandemic has been pegged at 72,056.
According to official sources 19 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been traced in Goa and one each in Kerala and Maharashtra. Over the past two weeks, 16 deaths related to COVID-19 were recorded with the victims having serious comorbidities.
The total number of active Covid cases in the country is currently at 2,311, with the total number of fatalities reported since the arrival of the pandemic in India at 5,33,321, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
“For the past few weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases are increasing. If you look at respiratory illnesses in general, the contribution of COVID is much greater in December, compared to November and that was much greater than in October. In August, September, and October, very few COVID cases were there, almost absent, even after testing. But that changed since November and December,” he said. Dr Jayadevan said that, however, people, suffering from COVID-19, are not requiring the need to be hospitalised.
“Fortunately, most of these people are not requiring hospitalisation that’s because most of the COVID cases are now occurring in the people who are travelling and who are well enough to go to work,” he said.
“Many people confuse COVID for the common cold. It’s very different, COVID-19 can affect the health of our blood vessels, especially if it comes again and again. So while we can get common colds again and again,” he explained.
The health expert also said that it’s better to take precautions rather than getting COVID-19 infection. “COVID-19 is best avoided, even if the initial symptoms are mild. The reported numbers will be an underestimate because very little testing is actually going on,” he said.
Emphasising testing, Dr Rajeev said, “The advantage of testing is twofold. One, we can take precise precautionary measures to stop its spread deeper into our community. Secondly, it will tell us the changing nature of the virus.”
“So we can take customised measures in the future without testing we will reflect light besides COVID, influenza and other viral illnesses are also in circulation. Wearing masks in high-risk settings is a good idea during times of a COVID surge. We have been monitoring the test positivity rate of COVID among people with flu-like symptoms in Kerala. And in our network we found that the percentage increased from 1 per cent to 9 per cent to 30 per cent in a matter of two months,” he added further. (ANI)
“There should be no laxity in our preparedness”: Mandaviya at high-level meet amid rising Covid cases
Amid rising Covid-19 cases in five states — Kerala, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka, Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a high-level meeting on Wednesday with top officials and chief health secretaries. “There should be no laxity in our preparedness. There is no room for politics when it comes to public health. The Union Health ministry is available for every support,” he said.
Mandaviya assured full central support to the states affected by the recent upsurge in Covid cases, saying they were working with a ‘whole of government’ approach.
He suggested that the healthcare officials in the affected states conduct mock drills in hospitals every three months to ensure preparedness to tackle the upsurge in Covid cases.
“We need to be on alert but there is no need to panic. It is important to hold mock drills to ensure the preparedness of hospitals, increased surveillance and effective communication with people.”
“We should hold mock drills in all hospitals once every 3 months. I assure the support of the Centre to all the states,” he added.
The Union Health Minister also urged states to ensure that preventive measures are taken amid the prevailing cold ahead of the year-end festivities.
Rajasthan University of Health Science’s Vice Chancellor Dr. Sudhir Bhandari asked fellow citizens not to panic about the new variant JN.1 due to the strong vaccination programme in the country. Dr. Sudhir Bhandari said “Once the genome sequencing result is not, then we can make out that this variant belongs to which lineage of the omicron.”
He however, advised senior citizens and patients with comorbidities to be a little extra cautious. “This variant is not very critical, symptoms are mild to moderate but senior citizens and patients with comorbidities may face critical conditions and hence we advise them to remain isolated,” Dr Bhandari informed.
On Kerala reporting the highest number of cases at a positivity rate of 21 per cent, state Health Minister Veena George, who was at the meeting, said, “We have increased surveillance and also ramped up testing. We are also regularly reviewing hospital preparedness and stocks of PPE kits and other equipment. Senior citizens, pregnant women, and those with comorbidities are being advised to wear masks.”
Dr Rajiv Bahl, director, ICMR , Dr VK Paul, member, Niti Aayog and Dr Saumya Swaminathan, ex DG, ICMR are also in the meeting. The meeting comes on a day Kerala reported three Covid deaths and 292 fresh cases over the last 24 hours, according to data released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
However, the Kerala government or the state Health minister did not officially confirm the fatalities due to Covid.
Earlier, on Sunday, Kerala Health Minister Veena George alleged that some people were trying to create unnecessary fear and spread false news on Covid deaths in the state.
“There have been deaths from other serious ailments. No one died from or because of Covid-19. Facts should not be misrepresented and neither should the spread of Covid be allowed to disrupt people’s lives,” George said.
Earlier, after the detection and confirmation of a case of the new JN.1 subvariant of Covid-19 in Kerala on Sunday, George assured the people that there was no need to worry.
The state Health minister also urged people to stay vigilant and take necessary precautions. “No need for any worry. That is a sub-variant (Covid-19 sub-strain JN.1). Two or three months ago, it was detected in some Indians when they were tested at Singapore airport,” George said, adding, “However, with Kerala having a robust healthcare system, we could detect the sub-strain here through genomic sequencing. There’s no need to worry. We are closely monitoring the situation. However, we should all stay alert and those battling comorbidities should take necessary precautions,” George added.