India has detected its first Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 case from Kerala’s Karakulam. The sample from a 79-year-old woman had returned a positive result in an RT-PCR test conducted on November 18, reported news agency PTI, adding that she had mild symptoms of influenza-like illnesses and had recovered from Covid-19.
Earlier, a traveler from Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchirapalli district was detected with the JN.1 sub-variant of Covid-19 in Singapore on October 25.
No increase in cases was observed in Tiruchirapalli district or other places in Tamil Nadu following the strain being detected in them. “No other case of JN.1 variant has been detected in India,” the source said.
Currently, over 90 percent of Covid-19 cases in India are mild and under home isolation, according to the news agency.
JN.1 SUB-VARIANT
The JN.1 sub-variant was first identified in Luxembourg and has since spread to several countries. The variant is said to be a descendant of the Pirola variant (BA.2.86).
It contains a significant number of unique mutations, particularly in the spike protein, that have a chance to contribute to increased infectivity and immune evasion among masses, a source explained to the agency.
However, initial data suggests that updated vaccines and treatments can protect people against JN.1 sub-strain, the source stated.
This sub-variant’s resemblance to earlier sub-strains with distinct spike proteins is also noteworthy. Most of the changes in the JN.1 sub-variant are found in the spike protein, which likely correlates to increases in infectivity and immune evasion.
SHOULD INDIA BE WORRIED?
“India is keeping a vigil and that’s the reason no hospitalisation or severe disease has been reported so far,” quoted news agency ANI to INSACOG Chief, NK Arora.
Rajeev Jayadevan, the National Indian Medical Association Covid Task Force’s co-chairman shared insight with ANI, “After a seven-month gap, cases are rising in India. In Kerala, there are reports of people getting Covid, but the severity so far appears to be the same as before.”
Jayadevan added that the sub-strain is capable of spreading faster and evading immunity. “JN.1 is rising quickly in several Western countries, and India being connected by international travel with the rest of the world should be no exception,” he said.
CASES OF JN.1 SUB-VARIANT
Globally, 3,608 cases of BA.2.86 and its sub-variants have been reported mostly from Europe and North America.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that the updated Covid-19 vaccines are likely to offer protection against the JN.1 sub-strain.
It also said an analysis from the federal government’s SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group suggests treatments and testing will remain effective, they said.
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