A case of JN.1 subvariant of COVID-19 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 Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) is a network of Genomic Laboratories that has been monitoring COVID-19 in India from a genomic perspective; ICMR is a part of this consortium. 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 are referred for Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS).
The case was detected in an RT-PCR positive sample from Karakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 8th December 2023. The sample was tested RT-PCR positive on 18th November 2023. The patient had mild symptoms of influenza-like illness (ILI) and has since recovered from COVID-19.
There has been an increasing trend of COVID-19 cases in the State of Kerala in the last few weeks. This has been attributed to an increase in a number of samples from ILI cases being referred for testing. A majority of these cases are clinically mild and recovering on their own at their homes without any treatment.
As part of a regular exercise of the Union Health Ministry, a mock drill in all health facilities in the States is currently underway to assess their public health and hospital preparedness measures. This activity, which started on 13th December, is being carried out under the overall supervision of the district collectors and is likely to be completed by 18th December 2023.
Union Ministry of Health is in regular touch with the State Department of Health, Kerala, and monitoring various points of entry.