- The central government issued an advisory to the states after the first case of JN.1 variant was detected in the country.
- The advisory directed the states to ensure effective compliance of the detailed and revised operational guidelines for COVID 19 surveillance strategy.
- States were also asked to ensure that there is adequate testing in all districts.
- The first case of JN.1 was detected in the sample of a 79-year-old woman with mild symptoms in Karakulam, Kerala.
- The JN.1 variant has already been detected in the United States, China and Singapore.
- Currently, WHO has designated JN.1 as a Variant of Interest (VOI).
- This subvariant, first identified in Luxembourg, is a descendant of the Pirola variant (BA.2.86).
- This causes a mutation in the spike protein. This may increase infectivity and ability to evade immune responses.
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