"Stay Alert, But Don't Panic": Centre As New Covid Variant JN.1 Spreads

The World Health Organisation (WHO), in its latest classification on Tuesday, designated the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a "variant of interest."

The Health Ministry, in a review meeting involving health ministers from various states, underscored the need for a "Whole Of Government" approach to effectively combat the emerging JN.1 coronavirus variant.  Union Health Minister Dr @mansukhmandviya virtually chaired a high level meeting with health Ministers of various states to access the current status and preparedness on COVID 19.MoS (Health) Prof @spsinghbaghelpr and @DrBharatippawar, Health Minister of Uttarakhand Shri… pic.twitter.com/uigH7V8S4a

The World Health Organisation (WHO), in its latest classification on Tuesday, designated the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a "variant of interest." However, reassuringly, the organization stated that, based on current evidence, the global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low. The virus is part of the parent lineage BA.2.86 and was initially classified as a variant of interest.

Emphasising preparedness over panic, the Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya expressed the importance of collaboration between the central and state governments. "We need to be alert, but there is no need to panic. Let us do mock drills in all hospitals once every 3 months. There should be no laxity in our preparation, and I assure all support of the Centre to the states," he said.