Covid-19 update: In biggest single-day spike, India registers 628 cases

JN.1 Covid-19 variant: In India, cases of the new JN.1 Covid-19 variant has been found in Rajasthan, Goa and Maharashtra. The total cases of the new variant currently stands at 26

Six hundred fifty-six Covid-19 infections were reported in India in the last twenty-four hours, the biggest rise in a single day, while the number of active cases climbed to 4,054, according to the latest government data. The JN.1 variant has also been identified by World Health Organisation (WHO) scientists as a "Variant of Interest (VOI)".

In India, cases of the new JN.1 Covid variant have been found in Rajasthan, Goa and Maharashtra. The total cases of the new variant currently stand at 26.

On Sunday, Kerala added 128 new cases and reported one death to reach a total of 3,000 cases, while Karnataka added 96 cases to reach a total of 271 cases. On Sunday, Maharashtra saw 50 new Covid-19 cases, according to a daily bulletin by the health department. Nine of the new cases were caused by JN.1.

JN.1 Covid-19: Countries must strengthen surveillance, ensure sharing of data, says WHO

In view of the rising cases of Covid-19 cases, WHO asked South-East Asian countries to strengthen surveillance and urged people to maintain vigilance. "The Covid-19 virus continues to evolve, change, and circulate in all countries globally. While current evidence suggests the additional public health risk posed by JN.1 is low, we must continue to track the evolution of these viruses to tailor our response. For this, countries must strengthen surveillance and sequencing and ensure the sharing of data," said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director of WHO South-East Asia.

Earlier, former WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan said that the public needs to be cautious and not panic as it is a "variant of interest" and not a "variant of concern" currently. A similar statement was issued by Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya earlier this month. 

No need for an additional fourth booster dose: INSACOG

India SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) chief N.K. Arora told The Hindu that there was no necessity for an additional fourth booster dose of vaccine against Covid-19 amid the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant. Only those over 60 years of age who have comorbidities and high-risk patients in the age group can take a precautionary third dose if they have not taken one till now, he said.

Covid-19 JN.1 variant symptoms

The symptoms of the new JN.1 Covid variants are mild to moderate and include fever, cough, cold and sore throat. Some patients could experience fatigue, nausea and uneasiness in breathing. There could be some occasional gastrointestinal issues like diarrhoea and body aches.

Covid-19 JN.1 variant precautions

For patients suffering from these symptoms, state advisories have stated that they should maintain distance from other people, use masks and wash hands with soap for 20 seconds or use sanitiser as needed.