21 in the city infected with JN.1 in Dec

21 people in Mumbai who tested positive for Covid-19 in December 2023 were infected with the JN.1 subvariant. All had mild symptoms and recovered in home isolation. The total JN.1 cases in the state is now 249. Mumbai reported 23 new cases on Monday.

Mumbai: The latest genome sequencing report released by the state health department on Monday confirmed that 21 people from Mumbai, who tested positive for Covid-19 in December 2023, were infected with JN.1 subvariant.

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“All JN.1 patients had mild symptoms and recovered in home isolation. Most of the cases were diagnosed at private laboratories,” said Dr Daksha Shah, executive health officer, BMC. With this, the total JN.1 cases in the state stands at 249 out of which 150 are from Pune and 30 from Nagpur.

“51% are asymptomatic. The symptomatic cases have mild symptoms and are recovering within a few days,” said Dr Shah.

On Monday, Mumbai reported 23 new cases. The city at present has 166 active cases. With the state seeing a rise in Covid-19 cases and JN.1 subvariant, the state health department appointed Covid-19 task force on January 5 and issued guidelines re-emphasising the need to follow Covid-19 appropriate protocols- wearing masks, following cough and hand hygiene. The active cases total in the state is now at 61.

The state task-force, which is headed by ex-ICMR chief Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, said the JN.1 subvariant has mild symptoms. Dr Gangakhedkar said, “People with comorbidities, senior citizens need to be careful and follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour. Their family members too need to be cautious and ensure they follow the Covid-19 appropriate behaviour so that they do not carry the infection home to the vulnerable population,” he said.

Dr Gangakhedkar added that if anyone has fever, cold, or cough, they should isolate themselves and get tested for Covid-19. “This will help in stopping the spread of the infection. The next 15 days will be crucial as the cases are expected to go up,” he said.