Pakistan Continues COVID-19 Testing of Inbound Passengers Amid Fresh Fears of Variance

• Major airports including Karachi, Islamabad do not have testing kits.
• The tests will help detect, prevent the JN.1 sub-variant of COVID-19.
• “Mandatory 2% testing continued to detect JN.1 variant.”

Islamabad: Amid growing concerns over the spread of the new variant of COVID-19, the National Center for Command and Operations (NCOC) has decided to resume mandatory testing of 2% of incoming passengers, The news reported on Thursday.

The test will help detect and prevent the JN.1 subvariant of COVID-19.

However, reports later surfaced of non-availability of testing kits and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as major airports, including Islamabad and Karachi, lacked the facilities, officials said in the report.

“As per the directives of Acting Federal Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan, surveillance at the country’s entry points, including airports, has been increased and 2 per cent mandatory tests for COVID-19 have been repeated to detect the JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV – 2 or coronavirus,” the NCOC official said The news on Wednesday.

Ironically, neither the COVID-19 test kits nor PPE were available at the many points of entry for health care workers associated with Border Health Services (BHS). Officials said neither the kits nor the PPE were supplied after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared in June this year that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency of international concern.

Although COVID-19 positivity remained extremely low in the country and no cases of the JN.1 variant had been identified as of Wednesday, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued an advisory on the prevention and control of the JN.1 subvariant.

Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), the NIH advisory said that the JN.1 subvariant has been classified as a Variant of Interest (VOI) and is essentially an offshoot of the BA.2.86 subvariant of the omicron variant of COVID-19. It was first reported in August 2023 by US-CDC.

In recent weeks, JN.1 has been reported in several countries and its prevalence is increasing rapidly worldwide, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) advisory said, adding that this rapid growth is seen in all three WHO regions with consistent common use SARS-CoV-2 sequences, i.e. the Americas, Western Pacific and European regions, with the largest increase seen in the Western Pacific from 1.1% in epidemiological week 44 to 65.6% in epidemiological week 48 .

“The aim of this advisory is to alert and facilitate health authorities and other stakeholders to ensure timely prevention and control measures that include preparedness to deal with increased workload expected in outpatient and internal departments over the coming weeks” , the NIH said. .

The National Institutes of Health further stated that although JN.1 is rapidly replacing other subvariants and its transmissibility is expected to be high, it is unlikely to create a situation like the previous phase of the pandemic, hence its morbidity and mortality are low from current statistics.

“The clinical presentation of JN.1 infection is similar to other subvariants, including cough, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, sneezing, fatigue, headache, muscle aches and altered sense of smell. However, the appearance of symptoms depends on a person’s immunity from vaccination and previous infection. It is important to know that existing vaccines, tests and treatments continue to work well against JN.1,” the advisory said.

Further, citing WHO’s overall risk assessment, NIH Islamabad said that despite the rapid increase in JN.1 infections, the limited evidence available does not suggest that the associated disease severity is higher compared to other circulating variants. Currently, available vaccines also offer the same protection against this JN.1 subvariant as against other variants, he added.

In terms of prevention and control measures, the NIH advised that if someone is sick or has been in close contact with people who have an influenza illness, frequent and thorough hand washing with soap and water and the use of hand sanitizer, if soap is available and water. recommended not available.

The NIH further advised people to practice respiratory etiquette by covering their mouth and nose while sneezing or coughing into their elbow, advised sick patients to stay home, rest, avoid overcrowding and practice social distancing until recovery.

The NIH has characterized vaccination as the most effective way to prevent infection and its serious outcomes, particularly in high-risk groups. The more antibodies with a complete vaccine or boosters, the greater the chances of reducing infection with COVID-19, especially among high-risk groups, including the elderly, people with comorbidities, and people who work in high-risk environments.