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div id=”pcl-full-content”>With Kerala reporting a rise in Covid cases and studies picking up a case of JN.1 subvariant, Maharashtra has stepped up surveillance and directed district health authorities to evaluate hospital readiness. “So far, we have not reported any case of JN.1 subvariant,” Dr Pratapsingh Sarnikar, Joint Director of Health, Communicable Diseases, Maharashtra told The Indian Express.
The number of Covid-19 cases in Kerala are seeing a spike in the last few weeks. This has been attributed to an increase in a number of samples from Influenza-Like-Illness (ILI) cases being referred for testing. Most of these cases are clinically mild and recovering on their own at homes without treatment. However, considering the upcoming festive season there is a need to put in place public health measures and other arrangements to minimise the risk of transmission by adhering to respiratory hygiene, the Centre said in its advisory, in view of the recent upsurge in Covid 19 cases and detection of the first JN.1 variant case in India.
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According to Dr Sarnikar, district health officers, civil surgeons and medical health officers have been instructed towards regular surveillance of Covid 19/ influenza cases. Isolation wards have been established in government hospitals and mandatory medical audit of influenza deaths has been advised. As per Maharashtra Health Department data on December 18, there were 25 Covid cases in the state.
From January 1 till mid December, a total of 134 Covid-19 deaths have been recorded in Maharashtra.
Dr Rajesh Karyakarte, coordinator of genome sequencing for Maharashtra, said they were taking up sewage-waste water sampling – with authorities at National Chemical Laboratory (NCL). “We are also checking for positive samples for genome sequencing to enable timely detection of new variants,” Dr Karyakarte said.
Meanwhile, Dr Shashank Joshi on X (formerly Twitter) has posted that JN 1- (BA.2.86) is an old grand derivative of Omicron. “The World Health Organization has recently classified it as a variant of interest and is about 25 to 27 per cent of globally tested Covid-19 cases. A few cases are now in circulation in India. Vigilance and monitoring is the key,” Dr Joshi, former Dean, Indian College of Physicians has said.
Dr Sujeet Singh, former director National Centre for Disease Control Dr Sujeet Singh on Monday said that JN.1, a sublineage of Omicron sub-variant BA.2.86 so far has not shown any increase in hospitalisation.
“NCDC is keeping a track on hospitalisation. However, a certain level of precaution needs to be taken as vaccine immunity may have gone down,” Dr Singh said. As per Dr Rajeev Jayadevan–co-chairperson of national task force of IMA—”Covid 19 is one of several causes of respiratory illness this season. Influenza is still the major player but with the spread of JN.1 across countries we are seeing a simultaneous increase in the proportion of Covid among respiratory illnesses . “We need to check week on week as this sub-variant is extremely immune evasive–which means the ability to overcome an immune response to prior vaccination or infection or both–and symptoms include sore throat, body ache and fatigue. In some there could be loss of smell and taste. However very few develop pneumonia,” Dr Jayadevan said.
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