Former WHO top scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan has reassured the public that there is no need for urgent alarm despite mounting concerns over the JN.1 version of the coronavirus. Swaminathan cited the UN health agency’s classification of the strain as one of interest rather than one of concern in an interview.
“We don’t have any data to suggest that this variant of JN.1 is more severe or that it will cause more pneumonia or deaths, so we don’t need to worry,” she added. “We just need to be cautious.”
“I think what we need to do is try to take the normal preventive measures that we are all now familiar with. We were familiar with Omicron, so it’s the same family. So not much has changed, but 1 or 2 new mutations have come up. And that’s why I think WHO has said let’s keep a watch on it. It’s a variant of interest. It’s not a variant of concern,” Swaminathan added.
Concern and attention have been drawn to the JN.1 sub-variant after 26 cases have been recorded in India thus far. There were 25 instances reported, 19 of which were found in Goa, 4 in Rajasthan, and 1 in Kerala, Delhi, and Maharashtra.
It has been determined that none of the 19 JN.1 sub-variant cases found in Goa are active. The variation was found when patient samples were sequenced for the genome.
According to state epidemiologist Dr. Prashant Suryavanshi, patients with the JN.1 variety experienced just minor symptoms before they fully recovered.
On Wednesday, there were two reports of Covid instances using the JN.1 sub-variant in Jaisalmer; however, on Thursday, there were two further reports from Jaipur.
In the meantime, 594 new Covid-19 cases were reported in India, bringing the total number of current infections to 2,669.
Based on available data, the World Health Organisation has designated JN.1 as an interesting variant, different from its parent lineage BA.2.86, with a low overall risk.
In England and Scotland, about 1 in every 24 people has Covid-19, with London being the most severely affected due to the extremely contagious JN.One variety spreads quickly.
The UK Health Security Agency and the Office for National Statistics jointly released a report that shows that the frequency is highest among those between the ages of 18 and 44.
According to the survey, the combination of cold weather, fewer days, and more socialising during the winter months creates a climate that is favourable for the spread of respiratory viruses, which explains the rising number of cases.
The total Covid prevalence rate in England and Scotland is 4.2%, with London having the highest rate of infection at 6.1%.
