India sees Covid-19 surge with JN.1 variant, active cases exceed 4,000

India has witnessed a significant spike in Covid-19 cases. On Tuesday (December 26), the Health Ministry reported 412 fresh infections, raising the total active cases in the country to 4,170.

There have been 63 reported cases of the Covid sub-variant JN.1, with 34 cases identified in Goa. Other states with reported cases include Maharashtra (9), Karnataka (8), Kerala (6), Tamil Nadu (4), and Telangana (2), according to PTI.

Officials from the Delhi government have initiated genome sequencing of COVID-19 positive samples.

Recent cases

• On Monday, India recorded 628 new Covid-19 cases, including 63 cases identified with the newly discovered JN.1 sub-variant.
• Despite the rise in cases, hospitalisations haven't significantly increased, with most infected individuals opting for home-based treatment, indicating a relatively mild illness.

States with active cases

• Karnataka registered 125 new Covid-19 cases and recorded three additional coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours.

• The total active cases in the state stand at 436, as per a health bulletin. The Health department discharged 30 patients in the last day after conducting a total of 3,155 tests, including 2,072 RT-PCR and 1,083 Rapid Antigen tests.

• The positivity rate is 3.96%, and the case fatality rate is 2.4%. The three new Covid-19 related deaths occurred in Dakshina Kannada on December 22, Hassan on December 23, and Dakshina Kannada on December 24, all reporting breathlessness.

• The overall death toll in the country reached 5,33,334, with one new death reported in Kerala in the last 24 hours.

• The number of recoveries in the country has risen to 4,44,71,860, boasting a national recovery rate of 98.81%, according to the health ministry website.

• Telangana reported 10 new COVID-19 cases on Monday out of 989 samples tested, with 55 active cases and no new COVID deaths reported.

What are health officials saying?

• Last week, Dr VK Paul, a member of NITI Aayog (Health), mentioned that the scientific community in India is closely examining the new Covid sub-variant, emphasizing the importance of increasing testing and enhancing surveillance systems.

• Despite the rising cases and the presence of the JN.1 sub-variant in the country, officials reassured that there's no immediate cause for concern.
• Hospitalisation rates have not surged, and Covid-19 cases have been incidentally discovered in those hospitalized for other medical conditions.

States have been urged to ensure effective adherence to the revised Covid surveillance strategy guidelines provided by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The sudden increase in cases is attributed to the newly discovered Covid sub-variant called JN.1, initially found in a 79-year-old woman from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.