Covid-19 Latest Update: From Gastrointestinal To Respiratory Here Are 10 JN.1 Symptoms To Watch Out For

(MENAFN- Live Mint) "India is witnessing a sudden surge in COVID cases in the country after a huge gap. Earlier on Wednesday, the country recorded new 341 Covid cases in 24 hours. There is also a new variant JN.1 that has emerged, as of right now, 21 cases have been reported in India. Of the 21 cases, sources told news agency PTI that 19 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been traced in Goa while one each in Kerala and Maharashtra. Amid an uptick in Covid-19 cases across the globe, the World health Organisation has decided to classify the JN.1 Covid variant as the“variant of interest.” However, the world heath body added that the variant does not pose much threat to public health Read: Covid is spiking again. Just how serious is it now?JN.1 variantJN.1 (BA.2.86.1.1) variant is a descendant of the BA.2.86 lineage (Pirola) of coronavirus. BA.2.86 lineage, first identified in August 2023, is phylogenetically distinct from the circulating SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB lineages, including EG.5.1 and HK.3. BA.2.86 carries more than 30 mutations in the spike (5) protein, indicating a high potential for immune evasion.
Also Read: New covid variant JN.1: India logs 21 cases; Know mask guidelines, other details | 10 updatesJN.1 was first detected in Denmark and Israel in late July 2023. According to officials, the sub-strain is currently said to be prevalent in 36-40 countries has has led to 16 deaths over the last couple of weeks, as reported by PTI. The official also added that while most of the deceased had comorbid conditions, almost 92 percent of the patients reported to have been detected with the new strain were recovering at home.
Also Read: COVID-19: From Alpha to JN.1, all you need to know about emerging variantsEarlier this month, The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had said that JN.1 makes up about an estimated 15 to 29 per cent of cases in the US as of December 8. Last week, China also detected seven infections of the Covid sub-variant.1 SymptomsSenior consultant in Chest Medicine at Delhi's Ganga Ram Hospital, Dr Ujjwal Prakash has explained that JN.1 is similar to other variants and sub-variants observed globally, ANI has reported symptoms include fever, runny nose, sore throat, headache.
Some may also face mild gastrointestinal symptoms.
As per Dr Prakash, some patients may witness mild upper respiratory symptoms which typically improve within four to five days per media reports, some symptoms might include extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, loss of taste or smell people need to worry?VK Paul has said that the scientific community in India was closely investigating the new variant. The NITI Aayog member asserted that there was no need to panic and emphasised on the need for states to ramp up testing and strengthen their surveillance systems, Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant had said that the variant was currently under intense scientific scrutiny but not a cause of immediate concern. \"No increase in hospitalization rates has been witnessed due to COVID-19. The cases that have been hospitalized were due to other medical conditions and Covid was an incidental finding,\" he was quoted by PTI as saying on alertHospitals across the country are on alert amid the upward trend of Covid cases in the country. Maharashtra Health Minister, Tanaji Sawant has advised people to not panic saying that the healthcare system of the state was fully prepared and geared to deal with any possible situation. In Kolkata, a senior official told news agency PTI that the West Bengal Health Department will continue its surveillance of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) cases, in accordance with central guidelines. In Delhi, Dr Rohit Kumar, Head of Pulmonary Medicine at Safdarjung Hospital said, \"We are on high alert, conducting COVID tests, and sending samples for genome sequencing.\"Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said RT-PCR tests will be conducted for Influenza-like Illnesses and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections despite there being no COVID-19 cases in the state at present. The Jammu and Kashmir administration directed all stakeholders to take proactive measures to ensure full preparedness to handle any potential scenarios. Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said that the department is geared up to tackle any fresh outbreak.

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