Ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations, India has been reporting a surge in Covid-19 cases, with 614 fresh infections in the last 24 hours. The latest Covid-19 numbers are the highest in a span of a 24-hour period in India since May 21 this year amid the spike in infections across the United States and China due to subvariant JN.1.
As per data of the Union Health Ministry, updated on Wednesday, active cases have increased to 2,311. The data, which was updated at 8 am, also showed that three Covid deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours from Kerala.
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Another New JN.1 Case Reported in India
In another new JN.1 case in India, a 41-year-old male in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg contracted the JN.1 strain of Covid-19.
The first case of JN.1 was identified in a positive RT-PCR sample in Karakulam of Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala, on December 8, 2023.
Active Infections Count Doubled in 9 Days, 21 Cases of JN.1 Sub-variant Detected
As per a Times of India report, India’s active cases count for coronavirus doubled in the last nine days, jumping from 938, as recorded on December 11 to 1,970 on Tuesday.
NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said on Wednesday that as many as 21 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been detected across the country till now.
Earlier, data released by INSACOG, a central government forum set up to study genome sequencing and virus variation of circulating strains of COVID-19 in India, said that as many as 20 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been found across the country. Among them, 18 were traced in Goa and one each was found in Kerala and Maharashtra.
Which States Are Reporting Covid Cases?
At present, there are 2041 active cases in Kerala, 79 in Karnataka, 77 in Tamil Nadu, 35 in Maharashtra, 23 in Goa, 20 in Puducherry, 12 in Gujarat, 9 in Telangana, 5 in Punjab, 4 in Delhi, 2 in Jharkhand, 2 in Madhya Pradesh, 1 in Uttar Pradesh, and 1 in Jammu and Kashmir.
2 More Covid-19 Deaths in Bengaluru
Two people died in Bengaluru due to Covid-19. A 44-year-old asymptomatic patient died on December 16 and a 76-year-ol man with influenza like symptom died on December 17.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called for a meeting to assess preparedness to deal with any surge in Covid-19 cases. Technical Advisory Committee on Covid and other experts will also be present in the meeting on Thursday.
‘No Need to Panic’: Union Health Minster Reviews Preparedness
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the preparedness of health facilities on Wednesday. He noted that the states were alert and had increased surveillance.
Mandaviya further assured the states of receiving all support from the Centre. “We need to be on the alert but there is no need to panic,” he said.
The minister also stressed the importance of being prepared with mock drills of hospital preparedness, increased surveillance and effective communication with people.
Centre Releases Advisory for States
Following the detection of the first case of the new JN.1 variant of viral infection in Kerala, the Health Ministry has sent an advisory to all the states and Union Territory. The advisory highlighted the need for constant monitoring of the situation.
Considering the upcoming festive season, states were advised to put in place requisite public health measures and other arrangements to minimize the risk of increase in transmission of the disease by adherence to the maintenance of respiratory hygiene,” the advisory read.
What is COVID-19’S JN.1 VARIANT?
JN.1 variant is causing a surge in infections worldwide and raising alarm bells among health authorities. The JN.1 sub-variant was first identified in Luxembourg and has since spread to several countries.
JN.1 variant, a descendant of the Pirola variant (BA.2.86), came to the world’s attention over the summer because of the large number of changes to its spike proteins.
This variant has only one change to its spike protein compared with its ancestor, but that seems to have been enough to make it a fitter and faster virus, CNN reported.
JN.1 Classified As ‘Variant of Interest’ by WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday classified the JN.1 strain of coronavirus as a “variant of interest”. The global health body however also noted that the variant did not pose much threat to public health.
As per a Reuters report, WHO said, “Based on the available evidence, the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low.”
Symptoms To Look Out For
Similar to the previous Covid variants, the JN.1 variant also showcases certain common symptoms that one should look out for.
Here are common symptoms caused due to the infection caused by Covid variant JN.1:
- Fever
- Runny nose
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Mild gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhoea
In addition to this, experts have also warned against one more red flag sign to look out for the infection caused by JN.1. ‘Breathlessness’ can be another risk factor associated with the variant for the elderly and persons who are immunocompromised.
(with inputs from PTI)
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