JN1 Covid has low public health risk: Experts

December 21, 2023 12:34

The emergence of the JN.1 Covid variant and India reporting 21 cases is neither surprising nor particularly worrying, say scientists while allaying fears but also advising adherence to existing precautionary measures.

The announcement on Wednesday about the increasing numbers of the new sub-variant, detected in three states, came as the Union Health Ministry reported a spike in cases.

On Thursday, the count was 594 new coronavirus infections, marginally lower than Wednesday's 614, which was the highest daily count since May 21.

As panic spread and Covid came under the spotlight again, experts stepped in to say there is no need to panic available treatments are effective, the infection is mild and all viruses mutate.

As it happens with most respiratory viruses, including the influenza viruses, the circulating viruses keep changing.

Therefore, a sub-variant of SARS CoV-2 is not a surprise at all, Chandrakant Lahariya, a senior consultant physician and public health expert, told PTI. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is circulating in all settings, he said. -- PTI

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