Amid JN.1 scare, India logs 573 new Covid-19 cases, 2 deaths in last 24 hrs

India on Tuesday recorded a slight dip in the single-day rise in Covid-19 cases with 573 fresh infections compared to 636 the previous day, the Union Health Ministry said. The country reported two more deaths due to the virus.

The active caseload rose to 4,565 in the past 24 hours. The two fatalities -- each from Haryana and Karnataka -- have pushed the death toll to 533,364, the health ministry data added.

According to the ministry, the number of people who have recuperated from the disease stands at over 44 million, with a national recovery rate of 98.8 per cent, according to the ministry's website.

 

On Sunday, India reported 841 new Covid-19 cases, marking the highest daily increase in the past 227 days or over seven months, the ministry said. The active caseload spiked to 4,309 from 3,997 reported on Saturday (December 30, 2023).

Since the Covid-19 outbreak in January 2020, the country has reported 45 million cases so far.

The uptick in cases came after a period of relatively low infection rates, with daily cases having fallen to double digits until December 5. The emergence of the coronavirus JN.1 sub-variant and colder weather conditions have contributed to the recent spike in cases.

Experts have advised people with comorbidities and the elderly to avoid crowded places and wear face masks while asserting there was no need to put in place public health measures right now.

JN.1 Covid cases in India

According to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), a total of 263 cases of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been detected in the country so far, with about half of them recorded in Kerala.

Ten states and Union territories have so far detected the presence of the JN.1 sub-variant of the virus.

These states are Kerala (133), Goa (51), Gujarat (34), Delhi (16), Karnataka (eight), Maharashtra (nine), Rajasthan (five), Tamil Nadu (four), Telangana (two) and Odisha (one), according to the INSACOG.

The INSACOG's data showed 239 Covid cases recorded in the country in December had the presence of JN.1, while 24 such cases were detected in November.