The health organisation said the current vaccines will continue to protect against severe disease and death from JN.1 and other circulating variants of the COVID-19 virus.
Kerala has reported the first case of JN.1, a descendant of Omicron with a mutation that makes it more infectious. Experts say JN.1 does not appear worrying, but India needs nation-wide serosurvey.
From researchers retracting study tracing origins of Omicron to Modi govt sparring with WHO over excess Covid deaths, the global scientific fraternity was hit by many a controversy.
The country is currently importing active pharmaceutical ingredients worth Rs 35,000 crore and exporting these raw materials worth Rs 33,000 crore, according to officials.
BA.2 sub-variant, which has been detected in Europe & Asia, could result in increased rate of transmission. There is no evidence that it causes severity, state epidemiologist said.
Antonio Guterres urged the international community, especially the global businesses, that 'we need all hands on deck' for recovery and economic rebound this coming year.
Symptom order can change with mutations in the virus, finds a study by researchers from the University of Southern California, published in 'PLOS Computational Biology'.
WHO said understanding Omcron's severity will take days to weeks, adding that currently there is no information to suggest its symptoms are different from other Covid variants.
Indian refiners are testing Venezuelan barrels again as Russian supply sinks, but analysts say volumes will remain limited due to refinery constraints & supply capacity.
This is the game every nation is now learning to play. Some are finding new allies or seeing value among nations where they’d seen marginal interest. The starkest example is India & Europe.
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