Maharashtra has detected its first case of the JN.1 sub-variant of Covid-19, which is a mutation of the Delta variant, in a 33-year-old man from Mumbai. The man had returned from South Africa on November 25, and tested positive for Covid-19 on November 29. He was admitted to a hospital and discharged on December 6, after his symptoms subsided.
The man’s samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for genome sequencing, which confirmed the presence of the JN.1 sub-variant on December 15. The JN.1 sub-variant has been classified as a variant under investigation (VUI) by the World Health Organization (WHO), and has been detected in 14 countries so far.
What is the JN.1 sub-variant and how dangerous is it?
The JN.1 sub-variant is a mutation of the Delta variant, which was first identified in India in October 2020, and has since become the dominant strain of Covid-19 globally. The JN.1 sub-variant has two key mutations, E484K and N501Y, which are also found in the Beta and Alpha variants, respectively. These mutations are known to increase the transmissibility and immune escape potential of the virus.
However, the JN.1 sub-variant is not as concerning as the Omicron variant, which has 32 mutations in the spike protein, and has been classified as a variant of concern (VOC) by the WHO. The Omicron variant has been detected in 77 countries, including India, and has been linked to a surge in Covid-19 cases in South Africa and other regions.
The JN.1 sub-variant is also not very prevalent, and has been found in less than 1% of the sequenced samples globally. According to the NIV, the JN.1 sub-variant has been detected in 0.2% of the samples from India, and has not shown any significant increase in the past few months.
The JN.1 sub-variant is also not likely to evade the existing vaccines, as the vaccines are designed to target multiple parts of the virus, and not just the spike protein. The NIV has said that the JN.1 sub-variant does not pose any threat to the vaccine efficacy, and that the current vaccines are effective against all the variants of Covid-19.
How is Maharashtra prepared to deal with the new variants of Covid-19?
Maharashtra, which is the worst-hit state by the Covid-19 pandemic in India, has reported 14 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, taking the total case count to 66,20,423. The death toll remained unchanged at 1,40,447, with no new fatalities being reported.
The state has also reported 207 new cases of the Omicron variant, taking the total tally of such patients to 1,216. The state has the highest number of Omicron cases in the country, followed by Delhi and Karnataka.
The state has taken several measures to prevent the spread of the new variants of Covid-19, such as:
- Imposing night curfew from 9 pm to 6 am in all the districts till January 2, 2022.
- Banning all public gatherings and events, including New Year celebrations, till January 2, 2022.
- Mandating RT-PCR test for all domestic and international travellers entering the state, and institutional quarantine for those coming from high-risk countries.
- Increasing the testing, tracing, and isolation of Covid-19 cases, and ramping up the genome sequencing of the samples.
- Enhancing the vaccination coverage, and administering the booster dose to the healthcare and frontline workers from January 10, 2022.
- Strengthening the health infrastructure, and ensuring the availability of beds, oxygen, and medicines in the hospitals.
The state has also appealed to the people to follow the Covid-19 appropriate behaviour, such as wearing masks, maintaining social distance, and avoiding crowded places. The state has also urged the people to consult a doctor if they have any symptoms of Covid-19, and not to self-medicate or panic.
