Una CMO tells people to be wary of JN.1 Covid strain

Una, January 4

The Chief Medical Officer of Una, Dr Sanjeev Verma, issued an advisory regarding the new Covid variant, JN.1, today. He said patients with symptoms like cough, cold, fever and headache or throat ache should immediately seek medical assistance.

The CMO said RT-PCR tests to detect the causative virus would be conducted free of cost for patients with influenza-like symptoms. Meanwhile, the WHO has designated JN.1 as “variant of interest”, due to its increasing spread. It contains some genetic mutations from its previous variant, BA.2.86, and is known to have characteristics such as disease severity, increased transmission and antibody evasion.

CMO Verma advised people to wear face masks, maintain safe distance from each other and avoid going to crowded places to prevent infection.