The Union Health Ministry reported that Goa had the highest number of 34 cases in the country, and a total of 63 COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 cases were identified in the nation until Sunday. Maharashtra reported nine cases, Karnataka eight, Kerala six, Tamil Nadu four, and Telangana two.
Karnataka recorded 125 fresh COVID cases on Monday and three recent fatalities within the past 24 hours. The health bulletin revised the total count of active cases in the state to 436. The latest variant appears to be less lethal than previous strains that affected the nation, as all instances of the JN.1 subvariant exhibit mild symptoms, and there have been no reported clusters of cases. Due to the increasing cases of the COVID sub-variant, states have been instructed to consistently monitor and report district-wise instances of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) from all healthcare facilities.
Former Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, reassured that there’s no need for alarm since JN.1 is categorized as a variant of interest, not concern. However, she emphasized the importance of caution and vigilance, urging people to take proper precautionary measures. Recently, WHO classified the new COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 as distinct from its parent lineage, BA.2.86, and labeled it a variant of interest. According to the latest evidence and reports, WHO stated that the overall risk posed by JN.1 remains low.
The Cabinet sub-committee of the Karnataka government is scheduled to convene on December 26 to deliberate on the suggestions put forward by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) in light of the increasing cases of the COVID sub-variant in the state, as mentioned by Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. The objective of the meeting is to formulate strategies to address the Covid-19 situation. Rao stated, “There are no restrictions as of now (on New Year celebration and other activities),” according to PTI. On Monday, the Karnataka Department of Health & Family Welfare Services reported 34 cases of the new variant of COVID, along with three fatalities.
