The central government has recommended that all states enforce stricter public health measures to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 virus, in response to an increase in cases in certain states, notably Kerala.
The initial instance of a newly identified sub-type of Covid-19, JN.1, was found on December 8 in the southern state. This has sparked worries about a renewed health threat, occurring over two years following India's previous pandemic-induced lockdown.
The recently emerged JN.1 variant (BA.2.86.1.1) is seen as a descendant of a sub-variant of Omicron, with a strong ability to bypass immunity acquired from previous vaccination or infection.
On Monday, the Health Secretary, Sudhansh Pant, sent a letter to states and Union territories emphasizing the importance of continuously monitoring the Covid situation.
“Due to consistent and collaborative actions between centre and state governments, we have been able to sustain the trajectory at sustainable low rates," he wrote.
“However, as the Covid-19 virus continues to circulate and its epidemiology behaviour gets settled with Indian weather conditions and circulation of other usual pathogens, it is important to keep the momentum going to effectively deal with the challenges in public health," Pant added.
The central government has requested that states adhere closely to the operational guidelines for monitoring the Covid-19 virus and guarantee sufficient testing in every district.
“States are asked to monitor and report district-wise influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory illness cases in all health facilities on a regular basis including in the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal for detecting the early rising trend of cases," Pant said in the letter.
The government has requested that states submit samples with positive results for genome sequencing to the Indian SARS COV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) laboratories in order to identify any new virus variants.
The states have also been requested to guarantee the participation of all public and private health facilities in an exercise organized by the Union health ministry to assess their “preparedness and response capacities".
After the emergence of the new Covid-19 variant in Kerala, the Karnataka government has also mandated that individuals aged 60 and above, as well as those with underlying health conditions, must wear masks in public places.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled JN.1 as a 'variant of interest'. Up to now, JN.1 has been identified in the United States, China, Singapore, and India.
