YS Jagan alerts officials on Covid’s JN.1 variant, tells people not to panic

AMARAVATI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy asked the Medical and Health Department officials to have full preparedness and focus on preventive steps in view of the reports that Covid-19 new variant JN.1 spreading fast.

Speaking at a review meeting on the Covid threat held at his camp office in Tadepalli here on Friday, the Chief Minister told the officials to keep the village clinics, village and ward secretariats on high alert for taking preventive measures despite doctors’ advice that there is no need to panic. Senior officials should create awareness among the staff of village clinics and secretariats on identifying the features of the new variant and on taking preventive measures, he said.

The officials informed the Chief Minister that the people who were diagnosed with the new variant were fast recovering without developing complications and without the necessity of visiting hospitals. The new variant was not like the Delta type but it was spreading fast and suspected people were made to undergo medical tests in Government hospitals, the officials said and added that rapid testing kits and personal care kits were being kept at village and ward secretariats and Government hospitals respectively.

Informing the preparedness by the department, the officials said that necessary medicines, oxygen concentrators and D type cylinders were made available at all hospitals, oxygen infrastructure was also being readied and oxygen could be supplied by running PSA plants wherever necessary. Samples of the people who tested positive were being sent to Genome Sequencing Lab in Vijayawada for further examination to identify new variants and 56,741 oxygen beds were also kept ready at various hospitals, the officials added.

Medical and Health Minister Vidadala Rajani, Chief Secretary Dr KS Jawahar Reddy, Special CS (Medical and Health) MT Krishna Babu and other senior officials were among those present.