KARACHI: Pakistan’s southern Sindh province has reported five more cases of a new coronavirus strain, JN.1, the provincial health department said on Saturday, urging the masses to take precautions to avoid its possible spread. 

JN.1, a subvariant of the omicron strain, first surfaced in the United States in September before its spread was observed in other parts of the world. 

According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no evidence that the new variant causes more severe cases of COVID-19 or poses any more of a risk to public health than other circulating types of coronaviruses. 

The results of all the five new cases in the Sindh province were confirmed by a private-owned hospital, according to the health department. 

“So far, five cases of JN.1 have been reported locally in Sindh, while two cases have come from abroad,” it said in a statement. 

The health department said it was alert with regard to the JN.1 variant. 

“Instructions have been issued to all DHOs (district health officers), THQs (taluqa headquarters) and other hospitals of Sindh,” it said further. 

“The public is requested to take precautionary measures to prevent its possible spread.” 

The World Health Organization has named JN.1 a variant of concern, indicating that it is being closely monitored, but it has not been added to the high-risk “watchlist” of strains. 

Its symptoms are thought to be similar to those of other members of the omicron family of COVID-19 variants, typically starting with a sore throat, followed by congestion and a dry cough.