Israel health ministry says around 200 contracted new Covid sub-variant JN.1

Around 200 Israelis have tested positive for the JN.1 variant of the coronavirus (COVID-19), a Hebrew-language daily newspaper Maariv reported on Monday (Jan 1). In the past few weeks, the JN.1 strain has been spreading rapidly on a global scale. 

As mentioned in the news report, the Health Ministry said that Israel has seen a "small rise in morbidity rates...around 200 cases of the sub-variant were recorded in Israel". 

US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning last month that the rapid spread of the sub-variant could force US hospitals to start preparing for large numbers of hospitalisations. 

The JN.1 variant has triggered fears that the pandemic may return, and based on preliminary information, experts have said that the available vaccines were less effective at neutralising the strain.  

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WHO on global health crises 

Earlier this week, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the world needs to properly prepare for future pandemics after finally ending three years of Covid "crisis, pain and loss". 

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in his end-of-year message that 2023 had marked a turning point in fighting major health challenges but had also brought "immense and avoidable suffering". 

While commenting on the Israel-Hamas war, Tedros urged the world to ramp up relief efforts for the Gaza Strip and seal a "monumental" pandemic accord to plug preparedness gaps that were exposed during the pandemic. 

Tedros declared an end to Covid as an international public health emergency in May. "This marked a turning point for the world following three years of crisis, pain and loss for people everywhere. I'm glad to see that life has returned to normal," he recalled in a video message. 

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Tedros said that after 10 months, the WHO also lifted a similar emergency on mpox in May 2023, while the UN health agency approved new vaccines for malaria, dengue and meningitis. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan, Belize and Tajikistan were declared malaria-free.

Tedros also noted that the health impacts of climate change featured prominently at COP28, the latest annual UN climate conference held a few weeks ago.

However, "2023 has also been a year of immense and avoidable suffering and threats to health," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)