KARACHI: As citizens find little respite from respiratory infections, the Sindh health department confirmed on Saturday the emergence of five locally transmitted cases of JN.1, the highly contagious new variant of Covid-19, which is currently a cause of concern in several countries.

The day also saw three more passengers, in their early 20s, testing positive for Covid-19 upon their arrival at the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.

The male passengers, two of them arrived from Jeddah and one from Abu Dhabi, hailed from Qambar Shahdadkot, Mohmand Agency and North Waziristan.

Sources said they left for their homes after being advised to self-quarantine. Their blood samples for detecting the variant they suffered from had been sent to a laboratory, they added.

Three more air travellers test positive for Covid

The sources said the five locally transmitted cases of JN.1 were reported by the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH). Three of the five patients were women.

“The health department is closely monitoring the situation and plans to set up a task force soon to tackle the emerging threat from JN.1,” shared a health department spokesperson.

He added that the four passengers earlier tested positive for JN.1 were recovering well at home.

Speaking to Dawn, health experts shared that though there seemed to be a slight decrease in the number of respiratory infections in the city, the situation was still worrisome.

“Cases have gone down a bit but we need to be cautious as complications in patients could occur anytime,” said Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, a senior general physician representing the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA).

He added that recovery in some cases was taking longer than expected time. “There is a need for increasing screening and testing services as patients report with flu, chest infections and at times with pneumonia and we need to have specific diagnosis.”

Seconding his opinion, Dr Altaf Hussain Khatri, another GP and PMA representative, said that while flu cases had reduced, a lot of patients were reporting with persistent cough.

Karachi has been seeing a rising number of flu cases this season starting from October 2023. Hospitalisation and mortalities have been very low, largely involving the elderly and people with compromised immunity, the experts said.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2024