The sub-variant, however, is not entirely new and has been detected in small numbers in many countries for several months now.
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The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) is a network of Genomic Laboratories that has been monitoring the COVID-19 in India from a genomic perspective; ICMR is a part of this consortium. To subscribe please click tau.id/2iy6f and access our live channel.
As per the revised surveillance guidelines in the context of COVID-19, patients of ILI and SARI are tested for Covid-19 and positive cases referred for Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS).
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A case of JN.1 subvariant of COVID19 has been detected in Kerala, as part of the ongoing routine surveillance activity by INSACOG. This was stated by Dr Rajiv Bahl, DG, ICMR, here today.
The case was detected in a RT-PCR positive sample from Karakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 8th December 2023. The patient had mild symptoms of Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and has since recovered.
As part of a regular exercise of Union Health Ministry, a mock drill in all health facilities in States is currently underway to assess their public health and hospital preparedness measures.
This activity, which started from 13th December, is being carried out under the overall supervision of the district collectors and is likely to be completed by 18th December 2023.
There has been an increasing trend of COVID-19 cases from the State of Kerala since the last few weeks. This has been attributed to an increase in number of samples from ILI cases in the State.
Cases of JN.1 in several countries ahead of the holidays, particularly the spike in the US, China and Singapore, have led to people wondering whether there could be a surge.
A majority of these cases are clinically mild and recovering on their own at their homes without any treatment.
Union Ministry of Health is in regular touch with the State Department of Health, Kerala and monitoring various points of entry.
