Covid in new avatar makes debut in city!

Hyderabad: With the first COVID-positive case getting reported in the city, the Health Department swung into action in the state as the authorities established an isolation ward in Gandhi Hospital with 30 beds in the wake of increasing cases in the country. However, experts opined that the variant JN1 is not a variant of concern.

According to reports, one doctor was tested positive for Coronavirus in Kukatpally area. The doctor was suffering with fever for the last couple of days and when RTPCR test was conducted, he was found infected. However, the doctors have said that there is no need to panic, but urged people to be cautious and wear masks in the populated areas. There has been a spike in the COVID cases in the country, especially in the states like Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, taking the tally to over 257 cases.

The health officials said that there was no need for panic as the World Health Organisation had declared that COVID-19 was no longer a global public health emergency. The virus exists in the environment and may cause meek, flu-like symptoms such as cold, cough, fever, throat pain, body aches, etc.

According to experts, the virus may not be as effective as in the past. Gandhi Critical Care Medicine Head of the Department Prof Dr Kiran Madala said that after the first two waves, the COVID virus has been spreading in the form of different variants. After the Delta variant in 2021 and Omicron variant in 2022, the effect of the virus has drastically come down. In spite of high cases being registered, the effect was not much. The virus spread has been in countries like Hong Kong, Singapore. Dr Kiran said that the JN1 and XBB variants were reported in the country even in the past. Presently, the variants belong to the Omicron family but it has not been told by the WHO.

“There are two types of immunities including one which we got from the vaccines, which may have gone by now and there is a cell mediated immunity (An immune response where specialised cells, primary T cells, directly target and destroy infected cells or cancer cells, as well as regulate other immune responses) in the body. Generally, immunity power is more in our country. People can avoid the effect of the virus if they maintain hygiene and wear masks,” said Dr Kiran.