Tamil actor Vijayakanth dies after Covid-19 hints at his condition: Can JN.1 variant cause pneumonia?

As popular Tamil actor and DMDK leader Vijaykanth died on Thursday morning after testing positive for COVID-19, concerns have been raised over the impact of the latest sub-variant, JN.1, raging across the country, in people with comorbidities. . He was reportedly on a ventilator before his death. The actor was 71 years old, suffered from diabetes, and had reportedly previously undergone a kidney transplant.

As COVID-19 cases rise in the country, the associated death spiral is a cause for concern. According to government data, a total of 702 cases and six deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported across the country. The current increase in cases is likely due to the new JN.1 variant and increased surveillance since its detection.

Although several countries have reported an increase in the number of JN.1 cases, none have yet reported increased severity. The World Health Organization (WHO) states in its risk assessment of JN.1 that it is currently low.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said JN.1 likely accounts for 39 to 50 percent of all Sars-CoV-2 variants, but it was too early to say. whether this would lead to more hospitalizations. The statement said: “The continued growth of JN.1 suggests that the variant is more transmissible or better at evading our immune system than other circulating variants. “It is too early to know if and to what extent JN.1 will cause an increase in infections or hospitalizations.”

Singapore, where JN.1 accounts for the majority of cases, has seen a rise in hospital and intensive care admissions over the past three weeks. India has also reported more than 150 cases of JN.1 so far, most of them in Kerala and Gujarat.