The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi issued guidelines for handling suspected or positive Covid patients arriving at hospitals, as the city recorded the first case of the JN.1 coronavirus variant.

After a meeting with heads of departments, the AIIMS director decided to establish a Covid screening Outpatient Department (OPD) in the emergency department, while 12 beds in one ward will be designated for the hospitalisation of seriously ill patients.

COVID testing will be conducted for patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI)-like symptoms, including acute respiratory infection, persistent fever, or fever with cough, according to the guidelines issued by AIIMS on Wednesday.

All departments at AIIMS have been instructed to make provisions in their designated wards for managing COVID-positive inpatients.

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

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

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.

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

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj announced on Wednesday 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 causes mild infection. It is the variant spreading in South India. There is no need to panic; it causes mild sickness," the minister said.

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