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Amid an upsurge in the Covid-19 cases and the detection of the first JN.1 variant in India, the Central government has urged the states to maintain a state of constant vigil, and report all influenza-like and severe acute respiratory illnesses. The states have also been advised to increase the number of RT-PCR tests and send the positive samples for genome sequencing.
In a press release, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said the Union Health Secretary has sent a letter to States/UTs, highlighting the need for maintaining a state of constant vigil over the Covid-19 situation in the country.
Also Read | New JN.1 variant: Symptoms and precautions
He underlined that “due to consistent and collaborative actions between Centre and state governments, we have been able to sustain the trajectory at sustainable low rates”. The ministry has listed some strategies for Covid control.
“Considering the upcoming festive season, States were advised to put in place requisite public health measures and other arrangements to minimize risk of increase in transmission of the disease by adherence to maintenance of respiratory hygiene,” it said.
Also Read: Singapore government implements preventive norms for travellers amid Covid scare
The states have also been asked to monitor report all influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) cases in all health facilities for an early detection of all the cases.
“States were encouraged to increase number of RT-PCR tests and send positive samples for genome sequencing to Indian SARS COV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) laboratories so as to enable timely detection of new variants, if any, in the country,” it said.
JN.1 VARIANT CASE REPORTED IN INDIA
India’s first case of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 was detected in Kerala on December 8. A few states, including Kerala, have recently reported an uptick in the Covid cases.
The specific case of JN.1 was identified in an RT-PCR positive sample from Karakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on 8th December 2023. The patient, who initially tested positive on November 18, 2023, experienced mild symptoms of ILI and has since recovered from Covid-19.
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Published: 18 Dec 2023, 07:40 PM IST
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