JN1 variant of COVID not a threat, says Meghalaya health minister Ampareen Lyngdoh

SHILLONG: The JN1 variant of COVID, cases of which are on the rise in India, is not a threat.

This was claimed by Meghalaya health minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Thursday (December 21).

Meghalaya health minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said that the new COVID strain is not much of a threat as of now.

The Meghalaya health minister informed that the union health ministry recently convened that the new COVID variant is not too much of a concern.

She added that Meghalaya has enough ICU beds, oxygen supply and she does not anticipate any problem.

“We do not anticipate that this will become a big problem like it was during the pandemic years,” Meghalaya health minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said.

She said: “This variant from my understating is symptomatic especially for people with low immunity, people who are not keeping well.”

“Therefore, as a precaution it is advised that anyone who is not in good health should take self-imposed precautions,” the Meghalaya health minister added.

It may be mentioned here that with reports of the arrival of the JN1 COVID variant in India, 2669 active cases were reported in 24 hours on Thursday.

An uptick in COVID cases has been observed in Kerala, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Karnataka. 

JN1 (BA.2.86.1.1) variant emerged in late 2023 and is a descendant of the BA.2.86 lineage (Pirola) of coronavirus.

Two COVID-19-related deaths have been reported in Karnataka on Wednesday. It is unclear if the death was due to the new sub-variant JN1.

Hospitals across the country are on alert amid the upward trend of COVID cases in the country. 

The World Health Organisation has classified JN1 as a separate "variant of interest" given its rapidly increasing spread but said it poses a "low" global public health risk.