Madhya Pradesh adopts Centre's guidelines for new COVID-19 variant JN.1

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav stated that his government has put into effect the guidelines provided by the Central government regarding a new strain of COVID-19. This comes as some states experience a rise in cases of the viral infection. Yadav visited Hamidia Hospital, the largest government hospital in Bhopal, on Monday night to assess the preparations in place.

"The health department is working with full efficiency to deal with COVID-19 as well as all other diseases," Yadav told reporters after visiting the medical facility.

"We have implemented guidelines issued by the Centre regarding a new variant of COVID-19 in the entire state," he said.


Yadav mentioned that the nation had previously overcome the pandemic under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Chief Minister also engaged with the attendants of patients during his visit to the hospital.

On Monday, the Central government urged states and Union Territories to remain vigilant as COVID-19 cases increase and the first case of the new JN.1 variant is detected in the country.

India's initial case of the COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 was identified in Kerala on December 8. Earlier, a traveler from Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli district tested positive for the JN.1 variant in Singapore.

In a letter to states and Union Territories, Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant has underlined that "due to consistent and collaborative actions between the Centre and state governments, we have been able to sustain the (COVID-19) trajectory at sustainable low rates".

"However, as the COVID-19 virus continues to circulate and its epidemiology behaviour gets settled with Indian weather conditions and circulation of other usual pathogens, it is important to keep the momentum going to effectively deal with the challenges in public health," he said.

Recently, a few states like Kerala have reported a slight increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, Pant noted.

Inputs from PTI