In the coming weeks, there may be a surge in COVID-19 cases but there is no need to panic. At present, the latest COVID-19 variant — JN.1, a sublineage of Omicron — is causing mild symptoms, Director of Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine T. S. Selvavinayagam said.
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Giving an assessment of the current situation and elaborating on the findings of the whole genome sequencing (WGS), Dr. Selvavinayagam said, “The latest variant — JN.1 — is present in 41 countries, with the prevalence reaching 27% among the existing variants in those countries. This variant is a sublineage of BA.2.86, which is a part of Omicron. We are already exposed to Omicron and its variants. Our current experience shows that it causes mild symptoms; so, there is no need for worry.”
At present, 80% of the samples sent for WGS have tested positive for the XBB variant, he said.
“This has been the trend for samples sequenced from June till December. About 13% of the samples were of the BA.2 variant that would include JN.1. This may change in the coming days. In the last three years, we have had different variants in circulation such as Alpha, Delta, BA.2, and XBB. It keeps changing. So, JN.1 could have started spreading in November, and those who tested positive then have already recovered,” he said.
Of the 56 samples sent for WGS to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, the results of 30 are out. Of them, JN.1 was identified in four samples.
“We are yet to receive the results of the remaining 26 samples: 10 from November and 16 from December,” he added.
The State Public Health Laboratory’s WGS facility is sequencing 71 samples collected in November and December. “We are following priority sampling for WGS. We are sending COVID-19 positive samples with unusual presentations for WGS. These could be the samples of those with severe lung involvement, young adults with no co-morbidities, and children,” the DPH explained.
JN.1 being an Omicron variant, either vaccination or previous infection may protect from severe form of infection, he said, adding, “There may be immune evasion, but there will definitely be protection from severe form of the disease.”
Dr. Selvavinayagam elaborated on the COVID-19 testing strategy. “The strategy is to test all Severe Acute Respiratory Infection cases, Acute Respiratory Infection cases and cases of Influenza Like Illness. We are advising testing of contacts of COVID-19 positive persons. While those with symptoms will be tested, it is better to test persons with co-morbidities, the elderly and pregnant women who are family members or extended contacts of the COVID-19 positive patients,” he said.
One death reported
After five months, Tamil Nadu reported a death due to COVID-19 on Thursday.
The State had last reported a death due to COVID-19 on July 6. According to the bulletin issued by the DPH and Preventive Medicine on Thursday, a 55-year-old woman, who had several co-morbidities including diabetes and systemic hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and rheumatoid arthritis, was admitted to a private hospital on December 24 with complaints of difficulty in breathing for seven days and was treated. She was referred to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on December 27. Despite treatment, she died of COVID-19 pneumonia and acute pulmonary edema.
