Covid cases have begun to rise again and there has been a lot of discussion around the new subvariant JN.1. Read to know what is JN.1 subvariant, what are its symptoms and the precautions that one must take to stay safe..
New Delhi: The pandemic days are struck in the minds of all the people and no one is unaware of the effects Covid19 has had on the people around the world. In a nightmare-like-situation, covid is back with a new sub-variant called JN.1 which has been spreading rapidly in Singapore, China and even India. The first case of the JN.1 subvariant was identified in a woman in Kerala which further caused panic among the people. Preparedness measures were then initiated by the Union Ministry of Health and mock drills are also being conducted in different health centres and hospitals across states; masks have been made mandatory for people above the age of 60 in Karnataka. Amid the news and latest updates about the JN.1 subvariant, know what and how dangerous this variant is and all about the JN.1 symptoms and precautions you must take to keep yourself safe..
What Is JN.1 Subvariant?
Considered to be the Omicron subvariant BA.2.86 or Pirola, the JN.1 subvariant was first detected in US, three months ago, in September 2023. China, on December 15 detected seven infections of this particular subvariant according to a report by Reuters. The descendants of Pirola have been spreading in US, UK, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, India and Singapore; till date, it has been detected in 38 countries.
JN.1 Subvariant In India
As mentioned earlier, the first case of the JN.1 subvariant was detected in an RT-PCR positive sample from Thiruvananthapuram district on December 8. According to Rajeev Jayadvan, Co-Chairman of the National Indian Medical Association Covid Task Force, “JN.1 is a severely immune-evasive and fast-spreading variant, markedly different from XBB and all other prior versions of this virus. This enables it to infect people who had previous Covid infections and also people who were vaccinated.”
JN.1 Subvariant Symptoms
According to Dr Ujjwal Prakash, Senior Consultant in Chest Medicine, Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi, JN.1 Subvariant is a mild variant and it causes upper respiratory symptoms. The reported symptoms include runny nose, sore throat, fever, sore throat, headache and sometimes, gastrointestinal symptoms. It is said that these symptoms improve in four-five days. Dr Prakash further said, “The first way going forward is testing this new variant of COVID if possible, and then we have to see whether they have COVID or any other viral infection. Symptoms are almost very common with other viral infections. They may be slightly more severe. Some patients may have some symptoms more severe than others, but more or less the infection is just like any other viral infection.”
JN.1 Subvariant Precautions
Precautions or preventive measures from JN.1 Subvariant are the ones that have been followed for the previous variants. To keep yourself safe from JN.1 Subvariant, you must follow frequent hand sanitization, usage of triple mask and social distancing. Also, in case the vaccination shots have not been taken, they must be taken for better prevention.