Health professionals are sounding the alarm regarding a notable increase in respiratory infections within the nation, with certain experts linking this trend to a potential resurgence of COVID-19.
In Kenya, an emergence of the Omicron variant spinoff, identified as JN.1, has been noted, alongside the detection of swine flu influenza virus in surveillance data derived from positive COVID samples obtained across the 14 counties within the Lake Region Economic Bloc.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has categorized the JN.1 strain as a “variant of interest” due to its capability to evade the immune system and its heightened transmissibility compared to other variants currently in circulation.
Despite this, WHO has affirmed that existing vaccines remain effective in safeguarding against severe illness and mortality caused by JN.1 and other variants of the COVID-19 virus.
Dr. Shem Otoi, an expert in COVID-19 wave modeling, recently shared recommendations on Citizen TV aimed at guiding the public in adopting behavioral changes to mitigate the risk of contracting or spreading this variant.
