The Centre issued an advisory to states after the first case of the new coronavirus variant JN.1 was detected in a sample taken from a 79-year-old woman from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.
Earlier, a traveller from Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchirapalli district was detected with JN.1 sub-variant in Singapore.
“Considering the upcoming festive season, there is a need to put in requisite public health measures and other arrangements to minimise the risk in transmission of the disease by adherence to maintenance of respiratory hygiene,” the advisory stated.
The advisory instructed the states to regularly track and report cases of severe acute respiratory illnesses and influenza-like illnesses in each district across all medical facilities. Additionally, the states have been required to guarantee that all districts receive appropriate testing and to update the information in the Integrated Health Information Platform.
Covid’s JN.1 variety is thought to be descended from BA.2.86, also known as Pirola, an Omicron sub-variant. According to a Reuters story, it was first discovered in the United States in September 2023, and on December 15, China discovered seven illnesses of the specific sub-variant.
