Amid the rising new JN.1 Covid variant
scare, former World Health Organisation-WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya
Swaminathan advises there is no need to panic presently as it is a variant of
interest and not of concern.
However, she urged people to be cautious
by taking proper precautionary measures.
Indian Council of Medical Research’s
former DG Dr Soumya said, “We need to be cautious, but we don’t need to worry
because we don’t have any data to suggest that this variant JN.1 is more severe
or it’s going to cause more pneumonia, more death.”
“I think what we need to do is try to
take the normal preventive measures that we are all now familiar with. We were
familiar with Omicron, so it’s the same family. So not much has changed, but 1
or 2 new mutations have come up. And that’s why I think WHO has said let’s keep
a watch on it. It’s a variant of interest. It’s not a variant of concern,” said
the doctor.
She further advised precautions to avoid
infection, “Avoid being in a very closed environment with very poor ventilation
with toxic people without a mask. So do wear a mask if you’re in that type of
very close setting because prolonged exposure to somebody infected increases
the risk of infection”
“Try to be in an open space rather than
in most cases, have gatherings and now ventilated places today, entering into
the season of gatherings,” said Dr Swaminathan.
“If you have some warning symptoms and
signs like severe fatigue, prolonged fever or you’re feeling breathless, visit
the hospital,” she said.
Speaking on hospitalisation due to Covid,
she said, “There’s always a small percentage of people, who need to be
hospitalised. So if you have 100 people with infection, one person need to be
hospitalised.”
“We have to realise that other
respiratory infections are spreading in the winter, and therefore, these
precautions will help us against influenza against the common cold against all
infections so we can stay healthy,” she added.
Bharat has so far confirmed 21 cases of
the JN.1 Covid variant, sparking both attention and concern across the nation.
The WHO recently classified JN.1 as a
variant of interest, distinct from its parent lineage BA.2.86. However, the
global health body emphasised that the overall risk posed by JN.1 remains low
based on current evidence.
Meanwhile, Bharat recorded 594 fresh Covid
infections – taking the number of active cases from 2,311 the previous day to
2,669, according to Union Health Ministry data.
ANI
