The national capital has reported the first case of JN.1 variant infection, said Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj.

“Delhi has reported the first case of JN.1, a Sub-Variant of Omicron. Out of the 3 samples sent for Genome Sequencing, one is JN.1 and the other two are Omicron,” Mr Bharadwaj told ANI.

Meanwhile, a total of 109 JN.1 COVID variant cases have been reported in the country as of December 26, Health Ministry sources said on Wednesday.

Amid rising concerns over the emergence of the new variant of the coronavirus, Dr Bobby Bhalotra, Vice Chairman in the Department of Chest Medicine, Gangaram Hospital, said, “The new variants are so far mild; they are from the family of the Omicron virus. So, the cases are not too much to be worried about; there is no panic as such but yes, it is a sign that it has come back again. It may flourish because it is more infectious than the normal COVID virus so we have to start taking precautions. Precaution and prevention are better than cures. Take precautions so that doesn’t spread for them.”

“There is an increase in cases of respiratory illness in OPD of 20-30 per cent due to weather changes, viral illness and an increase in pollution in the national capital,” he added.

He further said that patients who already have Asthma, interstitial lung disease, or COPD are getting exacerbations mostly from various viruses, including the H1N1 virus or swine flu.

“Despite having a vaccine against these viruses, especially H1N1, people are not getting themselves inoculated in time, and the immune system, which can be prevented by taking a vaccine, is not being used by many patients. So, this increasing exacerbation of breathing problems is due to viruses and more because of pollution. Pollution in our city is very high. And that impacts the lungs of patients, especially those with asthma, bronchitis, and interstitial lung disease. So that’s another reason why the number of patients is higher these days in the OPDs,” the Doctor said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently classified JN.1 as a variant of interest, distinct from its parent lineage BA.2.86. However, the global health body emphasised that the overall risk posed by JN.1 remains low based on current evidence.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

In visuals that could have been straight out of a Fast & Furious movie if they hadn’t been so disturbing, a Wagon R is seen locked in an accidental drift as it rams – in a horizontal position – into an unsuspecting man standing on the footpath. The man died of his injuries. 

The accident took place in Tundla in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad district three days ago, but the CCTV footage emerged on Wednesday. The footage shows 34-year-old Vishnu standing on the footpath, walking around and then looking down at his phone when the Wagon R, drifting horizontally, appears on the edge of the frame.

The sliding Wagon R careens into Vishnu at high speed, dragging him with it and leaving a dust cloud in its wake. 

A police official said the accident occurred at the Nawab intersection and Vishnu was a resident of Sirolia. 
 

Union minister Pralhad Joshi said today that while he does not hold with violence, he did agree with the demand that shop signages in Karnataka should be predominantly in the local language. Speaking to NDTV hours after pro-Kannada groups went on a rampage in state capital Bengaluru, the MP from Dharwad questioned why shopkeepers insist on writing signages only in English.

“Everybody should be able to read the signs and not everyone can read English. What is the harm in writing in Kannada as well as in English or another language, like Hindi? This is not England,” he told NDTV when asked if the sub-nationalism invoked by the Congress has worried the BJP.

“If there has been violence that cannot be approved but these people (shopkeepers) should also understand the sentiment and the necessity,” he added.

The civic rules in Bengaluru maintain that 60 per cent of a signage has to be written in the vernacular language of the state.

But with many shops, especially in malls, bypassing the rule, pro-Kannada groups — who for long have been demanding vernacular signages — vandalised more than 20 shops in the city today.

Besides shopping centres in MG Road, Brigade Road, Lavelle Road and St Marks Road, protests were also held along the Kempegowda International Airport.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who brought the language row in October remarking that “everyone living in this state should learn to speak Kannada”, said he was aware of today’s developments.

“We will take action against those who took the law into their own hands and went against the law,” Mr Siddaramaiah said.

BBMP chief Tushar Giri Nath said commercial stores under the the civic body’s jurisdiction has to comply with the rule by February 28, failing which they could face legal action, including suspension of business licences.