JN.1, from the lineage of Omicron variant of Covid, is rapidly driving a large share of the current winter wave of Covid-19 infections across the globe and has reached India but not Manipur.
“The State Health Department has taken up all necessary steps to protect from the latest mutation of coronavirus, JN.1”, Health Services director Sasheekumar Magang said on Tuesday and appealed to the people not to panic.
Speaking to the media at the Directorate of Health Services Conference Hall, director Sasheekumar said that new variant JN.1 has affected many countries like Singapore, Russia. JN.1 is a descendant of the BA.2.86 variant (an Omicron sub-variant). The new COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 is more transmissible but is not causing severe infections or hospitalisation, he informed.
Explaining about JN.1, Sasheekumar said that the new variant is a descendant of the Omicron virus, sub-variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused Covid-19 in the first phase and also classified as a variant of interest by World Health Organisation.
The symptoms are similar to that of other COVID-19 like sneezing, fever, shortness of breath, runny nose, sore throat, caught, fatigue etc, said the director, calling on people to stay home when any of these symptoms show up and report to a doctor if it get worse, persists or the person is immunity compromised or elderly.
He also advised taking measures such as washing hands on a regular basis, distance as much as is possible and masking.
Talking about booster dose, the director said that there is no advisory on taking booster shot and two vaccines are enough.
Several measures are being taken up under state health services like keeping a medical team at the airport to detect JN.1, he said, adding that health surveillance team is continuing work since first phase of COVID-19.
There will be no shortage of oxygen as 29 oxygen plants are here in Manipur and four centres of LMO in the state, added Sasheekumar with an advice to not to panic and take care while travelling outside the state.
