AIIMS Delhi issues guidelines after city reports first case of Covid sub-variant JN.1 variant

As the national capital reported its first case of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi issued guidelines on Wednesday for handling suspected or positive Covid patients arriving at hospitals.

AIIMS Delhi Director, after a meeting with heads of departments, decided to set up a Covid screening Outpatient Department (OPD) in the emergency department, while 12 beds in one ward will be earmarked for the hospitalisation of seriously ill patients.

Moreover, AIIMS Delhi has also decided that Covid testing will be done for patients with SARI-like (Severe Acute Respiratory Infections) symptoms, including acute respiratory infection, persistent fever, or fever with cough.

About the Covid directives:

1. All departments at AIIMS have been asked to make provisions in their respective designated wards for managing Covid-19 patients.

2. Twelve beds in the C6 ward will be earmarked for the hospitalisation of seriously ill Covid patients.

3. A screening OPD in the Emergency Department will screen patients for Covid-like symptoms and triage them based on the medical requirements.

4. Rooms numbered 1 to 12 in the new private ward are to be earmarked for the hospitalisation of Covid-positive Employees Health Scheme (EHS) beneficiaries.

5. Engineering works to install sophisticated air purifying filters will be carried out at the earliest.

On Wednesday, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj announced that the city has reported its first case of the coronavirus sub-variant JN.1. He also appealed to people not to panic.

"JN.1 is a sub-variant of Omicron and is mild infection. This is the one spreading in south India. There is no need to panic. It causes mild sickness," he said.

Delhi has around 35 active cases with nine fresh infections being reported on Wednesday.

As per data by the Health Ministry shared on Wednesday, India recorded 529 fresh Covid-19 cases in a single day, while the country's active infection count stood at 4,093.

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