Covid-19 update: India logs 774 new cases, 2 deaths in 24 hours; 619 JN.1 infections so far

India reported 774 new Covid-19 cases in a single day, bringing the total number of active cases to 4,187, according to the Union health ministry data as of Saturday. Two fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours, one from Tamil Nadu and the other from Gujarat.

Daily cases remained in double digits until December 5, however, they started to increase due to cold weather conditions and the emergence of a new Covid-19 variant, JN.1.

After December 5, the highest single-day rise of 841 cases was reported on December 31, 2023, which was 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021, a PTI report quoted official sources as saying.

Over 92 per cent of the active cases at present are recovering under home isolation. Data suggests that the JN.1 variant is not causing a significant rise in new cases or hospitalisations and deaths.

As of January 4, the number of cases of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 reported from 12 states stood at 619. About 199 cases were reported from Karnataka, 148 from Kerala, 110 from Maharashtra, 47 from Goa, 36 from Gujarat, 30 from Andhra Pradesh, 26 from Tamil Nadu, 15 from Delhi, 4 from Rajasthan 2 from Telangana and one each from Odisha and Haryana.

The government has urged states and Union territories to remain vigilant in the wake of an increase in Covid cases and the identification of the JN.1 sub-variant within the country.

States have been instructed to enforce the comprehensive operational guidelines for revised Covid-19 surveillance, as provided by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Additionally, they have been directed to routinely monitor and report on district-level instances of illnesses resembling influenza and severe acute respiratory illness at all healthcare facilities. This is to facilitate early detection of an upward trend in cases.

India has experienced three Covid-19 waves, with the highest incidence of daily cases and deaths reported during the Delta wave in April-June 2021. Since the pandemic started in early 2020, over 4.5 crore people have been infected and more than 5.3 lakh have died.

Over 4.4 crore people have recovered, resulting in a national recovery rate of 98.81 per cent. As per the ministry's website, 220.67 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered across the country.

Also Read: IMD weather update: Severe cold and fog conditions engulf North India; no respite likely till Sunday