Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg Records First Case of JN.1 COVID-19 Variant
Pune, 21st December 2023:
In a concerning development, Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra has recorded the inaugural case of the JN.1 sub-variant of COVID-19, as confirmed on Wednesday. Hasan Mushrif, the state’s Minister of Medical Education, has issued advisories to all hospitals and medical institutions in Maharashtra, urging preparedness as instances of this new variant continue to emerge nationwide. The Union health ministry is intensifying its call for increased testing and surveillance in response to the variant’s spread.
Maharashtra, which reported 14 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, witnessed one of its highest daily case tallies in recent months.
Across the country, a total of 21 cases of the JN.1 variant have been identified. However, Maharashtra’s first case of this variant surfaced in Sindhudurg, where a 41-year-old man tested positive for the variant. Notably, the patient, having traveled from Goa, has fully recovered without any complications.
Presently, the state accounts for 45 active SARS-CoV-2 cases, with Mumbai leading with 27 active cases, followed by Thane and Pune, each with eight cases in their respective districts.
Earlier instances of the JN.1 subtype in Kerala prompted the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to issue a directive, advocating for continued mask-wearing among citizens as a preventive measure against the spread of the Covid
-19 virus.
