India on Friday logged 797 new cases of COVID-19, the highest in 225 days, taking the number of active infections in the country to 4,091.
COVID-19 Update: India has logged 162 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 till Friday with the highest number being reported from Kerala with 83 such infections, followed by 34 cases in Gujarat. Several states have been reporting an uptick in the number of Covid cases over the last few weeks and nine states and Union territories have so far detected the presence of the JN.1 sub-variant of the virus, according to updated data by INSACOG on Friday.
These states are — Kerala (83), Gujarat (34), Goa (18), Karnataka (eight), Maharashtra (seven), Rajasthan (five), Tamil Nadu (four), Telangana (two) and Delhi (one), according to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).
As per the INSACOG data, 145 Covid cases recorded in the country in December had the presence of JN.1, while 17 such cases were detected in November.
India records 797 new COVID-19 cases
Meanwhile, on Friday, 797 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded across the country, the highest in 225 days, taking the number of active cases to 4,091, according to health ministry’s data.
Five new fatalities due to Covid– two from Kerala and one each from Maharashtra, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu — have been reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry’s data updated at 8 am.
India had recorded 865 new cases on May 19.
The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, but the cases have again gone up after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions.
The daily numbers were in lakhs at the peak of the pandemic, which began in early 2020 and has seen more than 4.5 crore people getting infected and over 5.3 lakh deaths in about four years since then across the country.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease stands at over 4.4 crore with a national recovery rate of 98.81 per cent, according to the ministry’s website.
According to the website, 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered in the country.
JN.1 threat
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified JN.1 as a separate “variant of interest” given its rapidly-increasing spread, but said it poses a “low” global public health risk.
The JN.1 sub-variant of the coronavirus was previously classified as a variant of interest (VOI) as part of the BA.2.86 sub-lineages, the parent lineage that is classified as a VOI, the world body said.
However, in recent weeks, JN.1 cases continued to be reported from multiple countries and its prevalence has rapidly increased globally.
The Centre has asked the states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of Covid cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in the country.
(With inputs from agencies)