Covid: 50,000 Cases In Singapore, JN.1 Variant Detected In Indonesia, Malaysia, China Too

Thermal scanners, face masks are gradually returning to many Asian countries amid a spike in Covid-19 cases driven by the new and highly transmissible JN.1 variant. Over the last two weeks, China, Singapore, Indonesia, The Philippines and Malaysia have seen an uptick in Covid cases, coinciding with the holiday season. 

In India, Kerala has reported the first such case, sparking concerns in the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, which has ramped up monitoring in bordering districts. 

While the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said the JN.1 variant is better at evading immune systems, experts said the symptoms were mild and there was no need to panic.

READ | WHO Asks Countries To Continue 'Strong Surveillance' Amid Covid Surge Ahead Of Festive Season

JN.1, a descendent of the BA.2.86 Omicron variant, also referred to as Pirola, was first detected in the US in Sepetmber this year. JN.1 has since emerged in 11 other nations, mostly in Asian countries.

Here is a look at which countries JN.1 Covid variant has surfaced and what steps they have taken.

1) Singapore

Covid cases have nearly doubled in Singapore compared to the last week of November, with the government opening additional coronavirus treatment facilities and "strongly encouraging" people to wear masks in crowded places.

In the week ending December 9, Singapore recorded 56,043 cases as compared to 32,035 infections in the last week of November, a jump of 75 per cent, as a Health Ministry briefing. Moreover, the average number of people being hospitalised has gone up to 350 from 225 of last week.

As per a report in Bloomberg, JN. 1 variant cases currently account for around 60 per cent of infections in the island nation.

The government has already asked public hospitals to ensure adequate manpower and defer non-urgent elective surgeries to maximise bed capacity for Covid cases.

Those diagnosed with acute respiratory infection symptoms have been advised to stay at home and avoid contact with others. Passengers at airport have been asked to wear masks and purchase travel insurance.

The government has also made flu vaccines free for those who have opted for the national healthcare scheme. People aged 60 and those medically vulnerable have also been advised to take an additional booster dose if a year has lapsed from their last vaccine dose.

2) Indonesia

In Indonesia, Covid cases have risen by 13 per cent compared to November, with capital Jakarta seeing an average of 200 cases per day, as per a report in The Star. However, 90 per cent of the cases are asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic and hospitalisations are under control.

The Health Ministry has urged residents to take booster doses while thermal scanners have been reinstalled at Jakarta's main international airport and the Batam ferry terminal.

Residents have been advised to postpone travelling to areas that have witnessing a surge in cases and wear masks.

3) Malaysia

Covid infections have nearly doubled in a week in Malaysia, a popular destination for tourists, ahead of Christmas and New Year. Cases have jumped from 6,796 in the last week of November to nearly 13,000 by December 10, as per a New Strait Times report.

However, the government has ruled out imposing a lockdown and is focusing on community tracing via its TRIIS (test, report, isolate, inform and seek) system to curb the spread.

Malaysian Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad urged people to wear masks and advised senior citizens and those with underlying medical issues to get a Covid booster dose.

4) China

Around seven JN.1 Covid cases have so far been detected in China and the infections are at a "low epidemic level", Chinese health authorities have said, as per a Global Times report. 

As per the Health Ministry, the seven infections are mild and asymptomatic cases.

China, which has been grappling with a pneumonia outbreak that has mostly affected children, however, said the possibility of the JN.1 variant becoming a dominant strain cannot be ruled out.

5) The Philippines

The Philippines has also registered an uptick in Covid and flu-like illnesses. In the first week of December, the Philippines recorded 1,340 new cases, Reuters reported quoting the Health Department.

Most of the symptoms are, however, mild. Earlier this month, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr tested Covid positive for the second time. The 66-year-old had previously contracted the virus in 2020.

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