HCM City has reported the first patients infected with a new Covid-19 subvariant, known as JN.1, according to the municipal Department of Health.
The HCM City Hospital of Tropical Diseases and Oxford University Clinical Research Unit jointly conducted gene sequencing from specimens of 16 patients positive for Covid-19 treated at the hospital in December 2023.
The result indicated that up to 12 patients were infected with the Omicron sub-variant JN.1.
Between December 18 and January 22, HCM City received 94 Covid-19 cases from the city and other localities. Among those, 17 people are facing serious symptoms and all of them have underlying medical problems and have not yet been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
The HCM City Hospital of Tropical Diseases has recently seen a rise in Covid-19 infections.
The busy atmosphere before the Tet Lunar New Year would also pose a high risk of more Covid-19 infections.
The HCM City Centre for Disease Control has been urged to closely monitor Covid-19 cases admitted to hospitals, particularly patients in severe conditions. The municipal Department of Health has instructed hospitals to prepare a Covid-19 infection surge scenario.
The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said that sub-variant JN.1 was the fastest-growing and dominant variant in the US in December 2023. It has been classified by WHO as a variant of interest since December 18, 2023.
Source: dtinews.vn, Lao Dong