Delhi reports first case of Covid sub-variant JN.1; 'it causes mild sickness,' says health minister

Delhi has reported the first case of JN.1, a sub-variant of Omicron, which is behind the recent surge in Covid cases in several countries. Out of the three samples sent for genome sequencing, one has been identified as that of JN.1, officials told news PTI.

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said JN.1 causes mild sickness and there was no need to panic. "JN.1 is a sub-variant of Omicron and is a mild infection. This is the one spreading in south India. There is no need to panic. It causes mild sickness," he said while speaking to reporters.

Till Tuesday, the country had recorded 109 cases of JN.1, with 40 cases coming in the previous 24 hours. Thirty-six cases were detected from Gujarat, 34 from Karnataka, 14 from Goa, nine from Maharashtra, six from Kerala, four each from Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, and two from Telangana.

India saw a single-day rise of 529 cases of Covid, while the number of active cases of the infection was recorded at 4,093, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday. Three new fatalities -- two from Karnataka and one from Gujarat were reported in the last 24 hours.

The JN.1 (BA.2.86.1.1), emerged in August 2023 in Luxembourg and is descendant of the BA.2.86 lineage (Pirola) of SARS COV2.

Last week, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul stressed on the need for states to ramp up testing and strengthen their surveillance systems. Even though the number of cases is rising and the JN.1 sub-variant has been detected in the country, there is no cause of immediate concern as 92 per cent of those infected are opting for home-based treatment, indicating a mild illness, officials have said.

Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant wrote to states and Union Territories calling for requisite public health measures to be put in place and underlined the critical COVID-19 control and management strategies considering the ongoing festive season. 

States have been urged to ensure effective compliance of operational guidelines for revised surveillance strategy for COVID-19 shared by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. They have asked to monitor and report district-wise cases of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) in all health facilities regularly for early detection of rising trend of cases.