BENGALURU: Will the new COVID-19 variant JN.1 that is spreading in Kerala cast its shadow on the New Year celebrations and out-of-station travel to different tourist destinations? A member of the Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) said that the new variant, in layman’s terms, is the great-grandchild of Omicron and except that it is spreading fast, there is no significant jump in the number of hospitalisations and deaths and added that people need not panic and carry on with their year-end plans and tours with precautions.
“The new variant is leading to mild symptoms and has not led to a spike in hospitalisation and deaths. However, we have to take all COVID-19 prevention measures such as wearing masks, avoiding crowded indoor places and hand hygiene,” he elaborated.
“Elderly with co-morbid health conditions should take extra precautions. The higher the age, the lower will be the immunity. So they have to avoid getting infected,” he said and added that compared to other seasons, in winter the caseload of the respiratory illness will be high and we have to raise our guard.
The state health department and the TAC will meet on Tuesday and detailed guidelines for the festive season and new celebrations are expected to be issued.