The CDC pointed out that as many as 358 new serious cases and 22 deaths were reported between 1 and 29 February due to JN.1 Covid-19 variant in the country.
Covid Sub-Variant JN.1: Odisha reports 2 fresh cases amid surge. 10 Updates
China's official tabloid newspaper Global Times, citing the CDC report said that a total of 6,653 valid sequences of Covid-19 genomes were reported last month and all of them were Omicron variant strains but the main was the JN.1 variant.
The report said that the proportion of the XBB and its sub-branches has declined while the proportion of the JN.1 and its sub-branches is increasing.
Meanwhile, the number of outpatient consultations fluctuated from 202,000 on February 1 to 211,000 on February 19 and then fell to 158,000 on 29 February, Global Times reported.
Covid-19 updates: JN.1 symptoms
The variant does not have any exclusive symptoms. Patients in China are experiencing fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, muscle ache, and weakness in the body.
India records 1,200 cases of Covid sub-variant JN.1
Lancet study on JN.1 Covid-19 variant
In February, a report published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal emphasised the urgent need for strategies to combat the JN.1 variant of Covid-19 due to its increased transmissibility and immune escape.
The JN.1 Covid variant has distinct genetic features, having more than 30 spike protein mutations, including the hallmark Leu455Ser.
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Researchers from The University of Tokyo, Japan found that the reproductive number of JN.1 was found to surpass that of its counterparts in France, the UK, and Spain.
Where does India stand?
In India, over 2,500 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 and its lineages were detected in February. The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) in february said 1,084 SARS-CoV-2 sequences of JN.1 across 18 the states and UTs were detected in the country, while its sub-lineage JN.1.1 has been detected in 1,111 cases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified JN.1 as a separate "variant of interest" given its rapidly increasing spread.
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