 "covid, corona, coronavirus")
Even as the number of active coronavirus cases in Kerala rose to around 1,144 on Sunday, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said the Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 that has been detected in the state was not a cause for concern. On December 16, a case of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 was detected in a 79-year-old woman from Kerala as part of an ongoing routine surveillance activity of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).
Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 not a cause for concern: Kerala health minister
In a media interaction, Veena George stated that the case was identified months ago in Indian passengers who were screened at Singapore Airport. "There is no need for any concern. It's a sub-variant. It was just found here. Months ago, this variant was detected in a few Indians who were screened at the Singapore Airport. It's just that Kerala has identified the variant here through genome sequencing. There is no need to worry. The situation is being closely monitored," she said.
Dr Rajiv Bahl, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), stated that the case was detected in a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positive sample from Karakulam in Thiruvananthapuram district of the southern state on December 8. Bahl added that the woman had mild symptoms of Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and has since recovered from Covid-19. The sample tested positive for RT-PCR on November 18.
However, Veena George stated that those with comorbidities should be vigilant. She added that there was no need for any worry in Kerala because of its strong health infrastructure.
Karnataka health minister rules out restriction on movement
On Sunday, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao ruled out the need to restrict movement on the border at present amid the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in neighbouring Kerala. The minister dismissed the need for checking on border areas and restrictions on movement, saying, "I do not think there is a panic situation, right now there is no need to restrict movement on the border."
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On Sunday, Karnataka registered 58 active Covid-19 cases, with 11 hospitalisations and one Covid-19-related death.
The minister also stated that adequate measures have been taken to ensure the availability of intensive care unit (ICU) beds and essential drugs. "we have done a mock drill. We have asked them to keep everything ready to prevent any shortages," the minister said. Rao acknowledged the need for more RT-PCR kits. "We have some in stock, but we will be requiring more," he stated.
WHO asks member states to continue with "strong surveillance"
On Monday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) asked its member countries to continue with strong surveillance and sequence sharing amid the rise in respiratory diseases and new JN.1 Covid-19 sub-variant. "WHO continues to assess the situation. Follow WHO's public health advice to keep your families and friends safe during this holiday season," the health watchdog posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's Covid-19 technical lead, discussed the causes behind the recent rise in respiratory diseases and which precautions to take in a video posted on X. "Respiratory diseases are increasing around the world due to a number of pathogens, including #COVID19, #flu, rhinovirus, mycoplasma pneumonia & othersSARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve. JN.1 (subvariant of BA.2.86) is already a VOI and continues to increase in circulation, she said."
1,701 active Covid-19 cases in India
According to data from the health ministry, India on Sunday registered 335 new Covid-19 cases and the number of active cases increased to 1,701. Five deaths were reported, four alone in Kerala and one in Uttar Pradesh. The total Covid caseload in the country stands at 45 million.
