KARACHI – The Sindh health department on Tuesday reported two more cases of the new coronavirus variant JN.1.
Both patients have been advised to stay at home and quarantine themselves until their recovery.
Pakistan’s health ministry reported four JN.1 cases earlier in the week, stating that none of the patients displayed serious disease symptoms. With the addition of two more patients, the country now has six confirmed JN.1 cases.
“The Sindh Health Department has received reports of six suspected COVID variant passengers arriving at Karachi Airport from abroad,” said an official statement.
“Of the six samples sent for testing of the new COVID variant JN.1, two have tested positive. One of the infected passengers arrived in Karachi from Bangkok, while the other came from Abu Dhabi.”
The statement said one of the JN.1 patients was 26 years old and belonged to the Kech area in Balochistan. The other, 53, hailed from Sanghar in Sindh and was currently residing in Hyderabad.
“Both passengers have been strictly instructed to quarantine at home,” it added.
Pakistan’s COVID-19 experience was marked by several challenges and phases. Initially, the country faced a rapid spread of the virus, leading to strict lockdowns and pressure on its health care system.
However, despite its limited resources, Pakistan implemented effective measures such as smart lockdowns, mass testing and public awareness campaigns until the situation improved with a decrease in infection rates and the rollout of vaccination programs.
JN.1, a subvariant of the omicron strain, first surfaced in the United States in September before its spread was observed in other parts of the world.
According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no evidence that the new variant causes more severe cases of COVID-19 or poses any more of a risk to public health than other circulating types of coronaviruses.
