JN.1: 'No Need To Feel Scared'

'90 per cent of India's population is vaccinated; they are immunised. We need not worry.'

"Let us all again get into COVID-19 behaviour: Frequently wash our hands, avoid going to crowded places, wear masks," Dr Pratap Sarnikar, Joint Director, Health Services, Maharashtra, tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com.

'Unnecessary scare being spread'

Omicron virus is undergoing mutation and the JN.1 variant is just an additional mutation of the Omicron virus. This mutation in the life of any virus is quite normal.

There is an unnecessary scare being spread on social and mainstream media. Most of the patients showing the JN.1 variant COVID symptoms are doing normal and responding well to treatment. There is no need to feel scared.

There's just one case reported from Maharashtra, but let me tell you that this patient is a resident of Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra. This person was detected with the JN.1 variant in Goa and he has been hospitalised in Goa. This person works in Goa and is undergoing treatment in Goa. He has not come to Maharashtra. Since his address says he is from Sindhudurg, the media misreported that Maharashtra has found one case of JN.1 variant.

Co-morbid patient should take additional care. They should avoid crowded places.

'We have our eyes on the situation'

The state is already equipped with sufficient hospital and allied infrastructure to deal with any situation and so please stop spreading panic.

We may have discontinued with many special COVID-19 treatment centres, but to begin with we have enough hospitals space available; have we exhausted these beds already? Even so, if a need arises we are fully equipped to make many more COVID-19 centres functional quickly. We can give accreditation to large number of private hospitals too, if the need arises.

We have our eyes on the situation (increasing number of COVID-19 and JN.1 variant patients). Why should you unnecessarily create phobia? There is no need to get so stressed.

As of now, the number of patients are minimum -- hospitalisations are limited as most of these patients are getting treatment at home and are recovering due to it.

'More tests resulting in more patients'

Earlier the people who underwent the COVID-19 test had reduced. So that resulted in lesser number of patients. Now that the testing rate is increasing we are seeing some nominal increase in number of positive patients. It is only obvious that as tests increase the number of positive patients will also increase.

'Let us all again get into COVID-19 behaviour'

All those who are not yet immunised are likely to test positive now. Those who have already taken the vaccine doses and the booster dose may not suffer as much. The symptoms (for those who have already been vaccinated) now could be mild fever and cold. Nothing much. There is no need to get scared.

Those co-morbid patients who suffer from cancer, who are HIV positive, and have diabetes or tuberculosis, can show some symptoms as they don't have good immunity to fight the virus.

Let us all again get into COVID-19 behaviour: Frequently wash our hands, avoid going to crowded places, wear masks.

90 per cent of India's population is vaccinated; they are immunised. We need not worry.