NEW DELHI: India witnessed a surge in COVID-19 cases with 798 fresh infections reported in the last 24 hours, as disclosed by the Union Health Ministry on Friday.
The active caseload now stands at 4,091, according to the ministry’s morning bulletin. The country also reported five new deaths, with two from Kerala and one each from Maharashtra, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu, bringing the total death toll to 5,33,351.
Furthermore, the emergence of the JN.1 sub-variant of the coronavirus has become a focal point, with 145 cases reported in the country till December 28, 2023.
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Kerala leads with 41 cases, followed by Gujarat (36), Karnataka (34), Goa (14), Maharashtra (9), Rajasthan (4), Tamil Nadu (4), Telangana (2), and Delhi (1).
Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj provided an update, stating that a 50-year-old individual diagnosed with the JN.1 sub-variant in the national capital has now recovered, and there are currently no active cases of this variant in the city.
Nine states and Union territories have detected the presence of the JN.1 sub-variant: Kerala (78 cases), Gujarat (34), Goa (18), Karnataka (8), Maharashtra (7), Rajasthan (5), Tamil Nadu (4), Telangana (2), and Delhi (1), as reported by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).
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INSACOG data reveals that in December this year, 141 COVID-19 cases in India had the presence of JN.1, while 16 cases were detected in November. Initially classified as a variant of interest (VOI) within the BA.2.86 sub-lineages, JN.1 has gained global prominence due to its increased prevalence.