Vizag District Battle-ready to Deal With Covid JN.1 Variant

Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam district administration and King George Hospital are battle-ready to combat the newly identified JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2, as per guidelines issued by Andhra Pradesh government to combat the spread of Coronavirus.

KGH superintendent Dr. Ashok Kumar advised people to get back to taking pre-emptive measures, like social distancing, frequent hand washing, and use of three-layer masks, considering potential variations due to mutations of the virus.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, the hospital superintendent said they undertook 21 tests on Thursday. Their results are expected tomorrow.

Reiterating the need for stringent precautions reminiscent of earlier phases of the pandemic, he pointed out that the respiratory tract remains the primary target of these viruses.

With regard to the preparations that they have made, Dr. Ashok Kumar said they have readied 100 beds, comprising oxygen and ventilator beds, apart from an isolation ward. Additionally, 3,000 test kits are readily available for efficient testing.

“Our strategy mirrors the approach taken during previous stages, where an increase in number of tests was pivotal in understanding disease prevalence,” the hospital superintendent underlined.

He stressed on the importance of genomic sequencing for identifying the new Covid variant.

On the national scale, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has reported 358 new COVID-19 cases and six fatalities. Kerala contributed significantly to these numbers—300 new cases and three deaths. Telangana reported four new cases on Tuesday.

NRI Institute of Medical Sciences, Visakhapatnam, dean Dr. P.V. Sudhakar shed light on the JN.1 variant. He told DC that it has the sub-lineage of BA.2.86 or Pirola Omicron variant. JN.1 poses a unique challenge, as it infects both previously infected individuals as well as those vaccinated.

JN.1’s symptoms align with the earlier strains, encompassing fever, cough, headaches, and gastrointestinal issues. Dr. Sudhakar acknowledged co-occurring factors like diabetes and blood cholesterol in deaths that have been reported.

An unofficial source confirmed two symptomatic cases in Visakhapatnam, whose genomic sequencing is pending.