Following the Union Health Ministry direction that States be alert and prepared for any possible surge in COVID-19 cases following the emergence of the new variant JN.1, senior health officials said that there is no move to recommend administration of vaccine booster dose for India.
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India SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) chief N.K. Arora speaking to The Hindu on December 24 explained that there was no need for an additional fourth booster dose of vaccine against COVID-19 amid the surge in cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant.
“Only those over 60 years of age who have comorbidities and high risk patients in this age group can take a precautionary third dose if they have not taken one till now. As of now there is no need for a fourth dose in the general public. We would advise precaution and not panic,” said Dr. Arora.
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He added that new variants, sub variants and mutations were being reported from around the world.
“Fortunately, none of these Omicron variants have really been associated with more severe disease or hospitalisation. Symptoms of the JN.1 subvariant include fever, nasal discharge, cough, occasional diarrhea, and severe body aches, with recovery typically within a week. The Union Health Ministry has already directed States to increase testing and also submitted positive samples for further probe,” he said.
India saw a single-day rise of 656 COVID-1 infections while the active cases have increased to 3,742, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll was recorded at 5,33,333 with one new death reported from Kerala in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 a.m. showed.
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Also read: All advised to wear masks in crowded public spaces that are poorly ventilated
Meanwhile, Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), has confirmed that it will be “aiming to obtain licensure for XBB1 COVID variant vaccine which is very similar to the JN.1 variant for use in India.”
In a written statement shared with The Hindu, the company said: “As winter approaches, we anticipate a slight increase in JN.1 COVID cases. It’s essential not to panic; instead, we recommend that the elderly take precautions, including wearing masks.”
“Regarding our vaccine efforts, we are currently offering a XBB1 variant vaccine which is very similar to the JN.1 variant in the U.S. and Europe. In the coming months, we are aiming to obtain licensure of this vaccine for India. We plan to submit the necessary documentation to the regulators, with the goal of making it available to the public.”
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At present the list of approved and available vaccine in India include Covaxin, Covishield, and Sputnik-V. While Covaxin is India’s indigenous COVID-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology, Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. manufactures Covishield, and Sputnik-V vaccine has been developed by Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
The announcement by SII comes at a time when as per the latest COVID-19 epidemiological update by the World Health Organisation (WHO), globally, the number of new cases increased by 52% during the 28-day period of 20 November to 17 December 2023 as compared to the previous 28-day period, with over 850 000 new cases reported.
It added that the number of new deaths decreased by 8% as compared to the previous 28-day period, with over 3,000 new fatalities reported.
As of 17 December 2023, over 772 million confirmed cases and nearly seven million deaths have been reported globally.
Additionally as of 18 December, JN.1, a sub-lineage of BA.2.86 Omicron variant has been designated a separate variant of interest (VOI) apart from its parent lineage BA.2.86 due to its rapid increase in prevalence in recent weeks. Globally, EG.5 remains to be the most reported VOI, WHO said.