[ad_1]
MUMBAI: The JN.1 subvariant of Omicron has become the predominant strain in the state, accounting for nearly all January samples of coronavirus that were sequenced for genetic studies. On Monday, the state confirmed the presence of this variant in Mumbai for the first time.
Twenty-one samples from the city were found positive for the variant, taking the count of JN.1 cases to 249 in Maharashtra. BMC officials said that these cases belong from December, and all the patients have recovered from the infection with mild symptoms. The cohort also included two individuals with comorbidities who had an uneventful recovery.
Dr Rajesh Karyakarte, the state’s nodal officer for genome sequencing, confirmed that JN.1 has become the prevailing strain in Maharashtra. “After its arrival in December, it seems to have completely replaced the XBB subvariants that were circulating earlier.” The reassuring news, however, is that after conducting a clinical correlation, no increase in severity or rise in hospitalizations has been observed,” according to Dr Karyakarte from Pune’s BJ Medical College. Importantly, he added that they have also begun detecting more subvariants of JN.1, such as JN1.1. “It is but natural that this variants will go on to have more subvariants,” he said.
In Mumbai, of the 21 cases found positive with the variant, 19 were from the city and two from outside. Most of the cases were diagnosed at private laboratories. Out of 19, eight patients were women and 11 were men. Dr Daksha Shah, BMC’s executive health officer said, “Though we have seen some surge in cases in December, the graph seems to be plateauing. We expect the spike to settle in the next few weeks,” she said, adding that the city hasn’t seen a big surge in hospitalisations. Samples from the city were sequenced at Haffkine Institute, Parel.
The state on Monday reported 62 new cases of Covid-19. The drop compared to previous days when cases have been over 100 is mainly due to fewer tests carried out on Sunday. There are nearly 900 active cases in the state of which nearly 5% are admitted to hospitals.
In countries like US and Canada, where the strain has been circulating for the last couple of months, it is now the dominant type contributing to 60-65% cases. The Maharashtra Covid taskforce has recommend proactive testing for people with symptoms and their contacts if they have symptoms.
Twenty-one samples from the city were found positive for the variant, taking the count of JN.1 cases to 249 in Maharashtra. BMC officials said that these cases belong from December, and all the patients have recovered from the infection with mild symptoms. The cohort also included two individuals with comorbidities who had an uneventful recovery.
Dr Rajesh Karyakarte, the state’s nodal officer for genome sequencing, confirmed that JN.1 has become the prevailing strain in Maharashtra. “After its arrival in December, it seems to have completely replaced the XBB subvariants that were circulating earlier.” The reassuring news, however, is that after conducting a clinical correlation, no increase in severity or rise in hospitalizations has been observed,” according to Dr Karyakarte from Pune’s BJ Medical College. Importantly, he added that they have also begun detecting more subvariants of JN.1, such as JN1.1. “It is but natural that this variants will go on to have more subvariants,” he said.
In Mumbai, of the 21 cases found positive with the variant, 19 were from the city and two from outside. Most of the cases were diagnosed at private laboratories. Out of 19, eight patients were women and 11 were men. Dr Daksha Shah, BMC’s executive health officer said, “Though we have seen some surge in cases in December, the graph seems to be plateauing. We expect the spike to settle in the next few weeks,” she said, adding that the city hasn’t seen a big surge in hospitalisations. Samples from the city were sequenced at Haffkine Institute, Parel.
The state on Monday reported 62 new cases of Covid-19. The drop compared to previous days when cases have been over 100 is mainly due to fewer tests carried out on Sunday. There are nearly 900 active cases in the state of which nearly 5% are admitted to hospitals.
In countries like US and Canada, where the strain has been circulating for the last couple of months, it is now the dominant type contributing to 60-65% cases. The Maharashtra Covid taskforce has recommend proactive testing for people with symptoms and their contacts if they have symptoms.
[ad_2]
Source link