First case of Covid's JN.1 variant reported in Uttarakhand

Dehradun: Uttarakhand has reported its first case of Covid's new JN.1 variant, officials said on Friday but added that there was no reason to worry as the patient has recovered.

The 72-year-old woman who was under treatment at the Doon Hospital here for some other ailment had tested positive for COVID-19 in an RT-PCR test earlier this month.

Her samples were sent for genome sequencing whose report has arrived, Health Secretary R Rajesh Kumar said. She returned home around 10 days back, he said.

"It is the state's first case of Covid's latest new variant. But there is no reason to worry as the patient has already recovered and gone home," the official said.

The woman had no travel history but she had come in contact with a relative from the US recently.