Kochi: Kerala has reported detecting immune evasive Covid-19 subvariant JN.1 in several parts of the state during a surveillance conducted by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), media reports said.
There are 1,523 active cases in the state out of 1,701 in the country.A total of 199 active cases were reported on Saturday. INSACOG is a multi-laboratory network that monitors genomic variations in novel coronavirus.In September, JN.1 was first detected in the United States accounting for 21.4 percent of cases as of December 12, 2023. According to Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman of the National Indian Medical Association Covid Task Force, Covid-19 cases are rising in India. JN.1 is different from XBB and other variations of SARS-CoV-2 and spreads fast.It is assumed that JN.1 had reached India from western countries through travellers.
JN.1 had an estimated 15 to 29 per cent of cases in the US till December 8, 2023.JN.1 emerged from BA.2.86, the Omicron subvariant since August 2023. In October 2023, JN.1 accounted for less than 0.1 per cent of Covid-19 cases in October 2023. By December it accounted for 21 per cent of cases. The continued growth of the variant suggests that JN.1 is either more transmissible or better at evading immune systems.
The CDC expects that updated Covid-19 vaccines can increase protection against JN.1. can cause symptoms such as fever or chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle or body aches, new loss of taste of smell, congestion or runny nose, diarrhoea, cough, fatigue, headache, sore throat, and nausea or vomiting. The CDC has warned that Covid-19 is likely to increase in January 2024, and hence, people can get the updated Covid-19 vaccine to ensure enhanced protection.
