Hospitalized Covid-19 cases increase, Ho Chi Minh City detects JN1 sub-variant

On January 24, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health Tang Chi Thuong announced the results conducted by the infectious disease surveillance team of the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases and the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU).

JN.1 is a sub-variant of the Omicron variant BA.2.86, which is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a "variant of concern" and is responsible for an increase in cases and deaths in several countries, including Thailand. This is the fastest growing variant and was dominant in the US in December. Since December 18, 2023, this variant has spread rapidly globally.

According to WHO, JN.1 has new antigenic characteristics that allow the virus to easily attack the immune system and is more transmissible, so it has quickly become dominant among Covid variants causing global disease. However, there is no evidence that this variant causes more severe disease than other sub-variants of Omicron.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC), from December 18, 2023 to January 22, 2024, hospitals received 94 inpatient Covid cases from Ho Chi Minh City and several other provinces. Of these, 17 were seriously ill and required oxygen therapy, with no deaths. All of the seriously ill were in the risk group (with serious underlying diseases) and had not been fully vaccinated against Covid according to the Ministry of Health's instructions.

"A worrying sign is that the number of hospitalizations at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases due to Covid-19 has tended to increase gradually in the past 6 weeks," said Mr. Thuong.

Currently, WHO is monitoring 5 variants of concern, including XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, EG.5, BA.2.86 and JN.1. With the new surveillance results in December, except for variant EG.5, other sub-variants of concern have been detected in Ho Chi Minh City.

In general, all current variants cause similar Covid-19 symptoms and the severity of the disease depends on the immune system and health status of each person (whether there are underlying diseases or not). The US survey shows that the current Covid-19 vaccines, diagnostic testing techniques and Covid-19 treatment drugs are still effective against JN.1.

Mr. Thuong said that in the context of the upcoming Lunar New Year, exchanges and travel will increase, the risk of increasing the number of cases and hospitalizations due to Covid-19 is real. To prevent Covid, the health sector recommends that people not be subjective, negligent and continue to implement the following measures to protect themselves, their families and the community.

Cases have surged in many places around the world recently, as have hospitalizations for intensive care. Southeast Asia reported more than 26,000 new cases, a 379% increase over the previous 28-day period. Thailand’s Covid-19 cases surged last week, with 11 deaths and 150 patients on ventilators, many of whom had never been vaccinated.

The health sector recommends that people wear masks when going to medical facilities, crowded places... or when having respiratory symptoms. Wash your hands regularly with clean water, soap or hand sanitizer. Gargle with mouthwash. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth; cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

People should get vaccinated against Covid-19 as recommended, especially for those in risk groups such as the elderly, people with underlying diseases... Practice environmental sanitation, personal hygiene, keep the body warm, exercise, play sports, and improve physical condition.

Avoid contact with people with respiratory symptoms such as cough, fever, difficulty breathing... Elderly people, people with underlying medical conditions, pregnant women... when showing signs of illness, need to go immediately to the nearest medical facility for timely consultation, examination and treatment.

The Department of Health requested HCDC to closely monitor the number of Covid-19 cases hospitalized, the number of severe cases requiring admission to the intensive care unit, as well as continue to monitor Covid-19 variants. Hospitals are ready to receive and treat severe cases requiring hospitalization according to hypothetical situations and response scenarios.