<p>Pune: A 41-year-old man has tested positive for new COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, said health department officials on Wednesday evening.</p>.<p>As per preliminary information, the patient is from Dodamarg taluka in the coastal district in the Konkan region and has mild symptoms of the infectious disease, they said.</p>.<p>No further details were available about the patient.</p>.<p>The World Health Organisation has classified JN.1 as a separate 'variant of interest' given its rapidly increasing spread but said it poses a 'low' global public health risk.</p>.JN.1 a Covid-19 'variant of interest', but poses 'low' risk: WHO.<p>As many as 21 cases of the sub-variant have been detected across the country till now, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said on Wednesday in New Delhi.</p>.<p>The Maharashtra health department has said JN.1 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and causes mild symptoms in patients as it urged people not to panic but take necessary precautions.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the health department officials said regular genome sequencing is taking place in the state.</p>.<p>Genome sequencing is a laboratory test that can map out the whole genetic makeup of a virus from a patient's swab sample.</p>.<p>Authorities in all districts have been instructed to take utmost precautions in the wake of detection of the new sub-variant and undertake surveillance of influenza like illnesses (ILI) such as severe adverse respiratory infection (SARI).</p>.<p>'They have been told to conduct coronavirus tests on patients suffering from SARI and ILI. All districts have been told to ramp up coronavirus testing,' said an official.</p>
<p>Pune: A 41-year-old man has tested positive for new COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, said health department officials on Wednesday evening.</p>.<p>As per preliminary information, the patient is from Dodamarg taluka in the coastal district in the Konkan region and has mild symptoms of the infectious disease, they said.</p>.<p>No further details were available about the patient.</p>.<p>The World Health Organisation has classified JN.1 as a separate 'variant of interest' given its rapidly increasing spread but said it poses a 'low' global public health risk.</p>.JN.1 a Covid-19 'variant of interest', but poses 'low' risk: WHO.<p>As many as 21 cases of the sub-variant have been detected across the country till now, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said on Wednesday in New Delhi.</p>.<p>The Maharashtra health department has said JN.1 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and causes mild symptoms in patients as it urged people not to panic but take necessary precautions.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the health department officials said regular genome sequencing is taking place in the state.</p>.<p>Genome sequencing is a laboratory test that can map out the whole genetic makeup of a virus from a patient's swab sample.</p>.<p>Authorities in all districts have been instructed to take utmost precautions in the wake of detection of the new sub-variant and undertake surveillance of influenza like illnesses (ILI) such as severe adverse respiratory infection (SARI).</p>.<p>'They have been told to conduct coronavirus tests on patients suffering from SARI and ILI. All districts have been told to ramp up coronavirus testing,' said an official.</p>