JN.1 sub variant found in 19 samples; all old, inactive cases: Goa health official

The first case of this variant was found in Kerala on December 8, after which the Centre urged states and union territories to maintain constant vigil, including monitoring and reporting district-wise cases of Influenza-like Illness and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness in all health facilities regularly for early detection.

Panaji: The JN.1 sub variant of Covid-19 was found in 19 samples that were tested over a period of time, but these are old cases and are no longer active, a top health official said on Thursday.

The first case of this variant was found in Kerala on December 8, after which the Centre urged states and union territories to maintain constant vigil, including monitoring and reporting district-wise cases of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) in all health facilities regularly for early detection.

"All the 19 cases of JN.1 sub variant traced in Goa are not active. They are old cases and have crossed the window period. This variant was found during genome sequencing of samples collected from patients," state epidemiologist Dr Prashant Suryavanshi told PTI.

"All those with this variant had mild symptoms. They have recovered now. These samples were collected over a period of time," Suryavanshi added.

As on Thursday, Goa has 16 active Covid-19 cases, including four detected during the day.

A total of 193 samples were tested for the virus on Thursday, as per a bulletin issued by the state's Directorate of Health Services.