JN.1 in Mumbai: 19 Test Positive for New COVID-19 Sub-Variant in City

Nineteen people have tested positive for the JN.1 sub-variant of COVID-19 in Mumbai, according to an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) who spoke to the news agency PTI on Tuesday, January 9. Out of 22 samples found positive for the JN.1 subvariant in Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis, 19 were from Mumbai, said Daksha Shah, executive health officer of the BMC. Two samples belonged to patients from outside the city, and one was a duplicate, she added.

According to a release issued by the civic body, these samples were sent for testing last month, and the reports arrived on Monday. All 19 patients who tested positive for JN.1 in the city experienced mild symptoms, and two of them had comorbidities. The patients have recovered from the infection, the release stated.

Most of the samples were tested at private laboratories, it said. Out of the 8,262 samples tested between December 1, 2023, and January 8, 2024, only 394 tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the release.