Government Issues Covid Advisory for Omicron Sub-Variant: Guidelines for Christmas and New Year

The Indian government has issued an advisory to all states to implement stricter public health measures in response to a rise in Covid-19 infections, particularly in Kerala. The advisory comes after the detection of the JN.1 variant, a sub-variant of Omicron with a high potential for evading immunity gained from vaccination or previous infection. The government has urged states to comply with operational guidelines for surveillance, increase testing, monitor and report illness cases, and send positive samples for genome sequencing. The WHO has classified JN.1 as a variant of interest.