New Delhi: Two years after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that COVID-19 was no longer a global health emergency, a new wave of the disease has raised alarms.
A significant increase in infections has been reported in parts of Asia, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and China. According to health authorities, the recent surge is mostly due to the spread of Omicron sub-variants like JN.1 and its related descendants.
In Singapore, the number of positive cases jumped from 11,000 to over 14,000 in a week recently, and hospitalisations have also gone up, prompting increased vigilance among health officials.
LF.7 and NB.1.8, both descendants of JN.1, are the most common variants which account for more than two-thirds of all sequenced cases.
JN.1 symptoms are similar to those of other COVID-19 variants — sore throat, fever, runny or clogged nose, dry cough, exhaustion, headache, loss of taste or smell, etc.
Like before, most mild cases can be treated at home with basic care. However, cases can get severe depending on the affected person’s health, comorbidities and immunity.
There is evidence yet the latest variants are more transmissible or severe than prior ones.
Where does India stand
As of May 19, there are 93 active COVID-19 cases in India, according to CNBC TV18.
According to some of the leading doctors, there is a possibility that India may witness a similar wave due to decreased immunity in the population.
“The recent surge in countries like Hong Kong and China is being linked to waning antibodies, and the same could hold true for India,” ET HealthWorld quoted Dr Vikas Maurya, Senior Director and Head of Pulmonology at Fortis Shalimar Bagh, as saying.
“It is possible that India might see a similar spike. In China, the rise in cases is attributed to decreased antibodies or immunity over time — the same could happen here. Many people in India were vaccinated a long time ago. If their immunity has dropped, more individuals could catch and spread the infection,” he added.
Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, Group Medical Director, Max Healthcare, is worried about the timing and spread of JN.1 variant.
“What is disturbing is that this wave is increasingly affecting populations in Southeast Asia during the summer months — a time when respiratory viruses typically don’t peak,” he observed.
There has been no advisory from India’s Ministry of Health & Family Welfare yet.
Also Read: Odisha Steps Up Vigil As COVID Wave Return In Asia
