New Corona variant is Variant of Interest not Variant of Concern

'India had managed the Covid-19 pandemic much better than many powerful countries,' Dr Ishwar Gilada said.

Mumbai: The new JN.1 sub-variant of Omicron is Variant of Interest (VoI) and not Variant of Concern (VoC), says Organised Medicine Academic Guild (OMAG), the apex federation of 15 professional associations of post-graduate doctors in India amid the sudden increase of Covid-19 cases.

“Mere Tuberculosis killed additional 495,000 people in 2021 alone, equivalent to the number of people died of Covid-19 during three years! Similarly there were lot of collateral damages during 2020-2022 till JN.1 become Variant of Concern -VoC, it should not bother common man - in fact they do not come in picture at all. Till it is only a Variant of Interest-VoI, it is only of interest (or if at all concern) for the scientific community and nodal ministry in Governments at state and centre,” said Dr Ishwar Gilada, Secretary General, OMAG.

“In fact Omicron acted as a Variant of Support (VoS) for India and only after its entry two years back, our country opened-up, schools/colleges started, tourism took off, socialisation and conferences started, and the economy boomed,” he said.

On whether JN.1 sub-variant of Omicron can not drive a fresh wave, Dr Gilada said: “India had managed the Covid-19 pandemic much better than many powerful countries.”

According to him, India had one of the best vaccination against Covid-19, with 75 per cent of the population fully vaccinated and 35 per cent of the population having received a booster (third dose).

“The third-wave orchestrated by the Omicron variant mainly with the BA.2 sub-variant infected the majority of the population with least morbidity and mortality. In fact BA.2 was a saviour for India from infections with BA.4 and BA.5 as well as descendants of BA.2 like BA.2.86 (Pirola). We are much better prepared now than ever before. Not only that, India supports more than 50 countries in Africa and elsewhere with preparedness, medicines and vaccines. That contribution is unmatched globally,” he said.

Though identified in August 2023 in Luxembourg and currently present in more than 40 countries, it has neither caused larger morbidity or any remarkable mortality. Deaths are only in comorbid people globally. Though initially contemplated JN.1 to be more infectious, when India's first JN.1 case was detected in Kerala, in reality it was not found to be so.

"Presence of JN.1 has not increased demand for Oxygen, beds, ICU beds or ventilators. In fact, JN.1 symptoms pose diagnostic dilemma with Influenza A (H1N1 and H3N2) and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the latter two being more common. In fact, the programme should be for Influenza Like Illnesses (ILI) rather than only Covid-centric. No fresh vaccination/Covid booster required or advised anywhere globally. No mask-mandate required. However masking can be requested for senior citizens and those with severe comorbidities as well as those with such people at home and going in crowded places. Anyways, the mask is helpful in preventing not only Covid-19 infection but also other viral and bacterial infections, said Dr Gilada.

“Mask is also useful in preventing ill-effects of pollutants and allergens that are prevalent due to winter and altered Air Quality Index-AQI. No need for any travel restrictions nor any curbs on social gatherings, meetings, conferences, religious gatherings. In fact they can become counter-productive, if imposed. No need for high-volume Covid testing. Only targeted testing (of suspected cases) is all that is required. Unless we get any fresh variant of Coronavirus, that is like or more severe than Delta variant, we need not worry,” he added.