India reports 115 new JN.1 cases, marking highest single-day detection

These cases have been found across ten states and union territories, with Kerala reporting the maximum cases at 147. Goa (51 cases) and Gujarat (34 cases) followed Kerala

As many as 115 cases of the JN.1 variant of Covid-19 were detected on Tuesday, taking their overall number in the country to 312, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) has confirmed.

This is the highest single-day jump in JN.1 cases identified by INSACOG since the first case of the new variant was detected on December 17.

The cases have been reported from across 10 states and Union Territories (UTs), with Kerala reporting the maximum of 147. Kerala was followed by Goa (51 cases) and Gujarat (34).

According to data updated on the INSACOG website, 279 JN.1 cases had been detected from samples sent for genome sequencing last month, whereas 17 were identified from samples sent in November 2023.

On Tuesday, India reported 573 new Covid-19 cases, taking the national tally of active cases to 4,565. Two deaths, one each in Karnataka and Haryana, were also reported, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Kerala saw a drop in active cases, as more patients (267) were discharged than the number of fresh infections (110) on Tuesday. The state’s active caseload is 1,712.

Karnataka reported 296 fresh cases, taking the state’s active tally to 1,245. Maharashtra has 731 active cases, with 70 fresh cases reported on Tuesday. It was followed by Tamil Nadu with 181 cases and Andhra Pradesh with 119.

India has recorded 53 Covid-19 deaths in 11 states and UTs since December 18, with Kerala reporting the most deaths at 25, followed by Karnataka with 13, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu with three each and the rest reporting one fatality each.

Nine states and UTs have not reported any Covid-19 cases until Tuesday.