New Delhi: A total of 312 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been detected in the country so far, with about 47 per cent of them recorded in Kerala, according to the INSACOG’s data updated on Tuesday (January 2). Ten states and Union territories have so far detected the presence of the JN.1 sub-variant of the virus. These states are Kerala (147), Goa (51), Gujarat (34), Maharashtra (26), Tamil Nadu (22), Delhi (16), Karnataka (eight), Rajasthan (five), Telangana (two) and Odisha (one), according to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).
The INSACOG’s data showed 279 Covid cases recorded in the country in December had the presence of JN.1, while 33 such cases were detected in November.
COVID-19 in India
India has recorded 573 fresh cases of COVID-19 and the number of active cases of the infection has increased to 4,565, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday (January 2). Two new fatalities due to the disease — one each in Karnataka and Haryana — were reported in 24 hours, according to the ministry’s data updated at 8 am. The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, but cases have again gone up after the emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions.
The daily numbers were in lakhs at the peak of the pandemic, which began in early 2020 and has seen more than 4.5 crore people getting infected and over 5.3 lakh deaths in about four years since then across the country.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease stands at over 4.4 crore with a national recovery rate of 98.81 per cent, according to the ministry’s website.
According to the website, 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered in the country.
Several states have been reporting an uptick in the number of Covid cases over the last few weeks and nine states and Union territories have so far detected the presence of the JN.1 sub-variant of the virus. Here’s a look at the cases reported from several states.
Himachal Pradesh
Amid rising concerns over the surge in the Coronavirus cases given the emergence of the new JN.1 variant, the Health Department of Himachal Pradesh on Monday (January 1) held a meeting to review the situation across the state.
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The Chief Medical Officers of all the districts have been instructed to examine cases of respiratory illnesses. The Health Secretary in an official statement said,
Keeping in mind the festive season, the Chief Medical Officers in all the districts have been instructed to examine cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI). The state has witnessed only two Covid-19 cases during the last 10 days.
The release added,
As per the directions of the central government, a Covid drill was organised across the District Health Institutions in the state which went from December 13 to 17. The state’s first INSACOG lab has been established in the Mandi Medical College, affiliated with the Central Government, where any variant of the Coronavirus can be detected using genome sequencing.
The official release went on to state that the Himachal government is all prepared to tackle any situation. It added,
At present, the Covid situation is under control in the state and the government is ready to tackle any situation. Across all the medical institutions in the state, there are a total of 8,234 beds, out of which, 1,187 are oxygen-supported, 325 ICU beds, and 333 beds have ventilators. There are a total of 795 ventilators in the state, 4,323 oxygen concentrators, 9,650 oxygen cylinders, and 46 pressure swing adsorption plants and four liquid medical oxygen plants.
Uttarakhand
Two fresh COVID-19 cases were recorded in Uttarakhand over the weekend, officials said on Monday (January 1). A 77-year-old man tested positive for COVID-19 at Max Hospital on Saturday (December 30) and a 72-year-old woman tested positive at Doon Hospital on Sunday (December 31), Health Secretary Rajesh Kumar said. Their samples have been sent for genome sequencing to ascertain if they have been infected by the JN.1 variant of COVID-19, he said.
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The man, who was undergoing treatment for other ailments at Max Hospital, has been discharged and is under home isolation. He is under the observation of a medical team and his condition is improving, Mr Kumar said.
The woman who tested positive at Doon Hospital has been shifted to the Covid ward, he said. Mr Kumar asserted the health department is fully prepared for Covid management and there is no cause for concern. All district magistrates, chief medical officers and medical superintendents have been asked to remain alert, he said.
Madhya Pradesh
Two COVID-19 cases were detected in Indore in Madhya Pradesh, which took the number of active cases in the state’s commercial capital to nine, an official said on Monday (January 1). A 75-year-old man and a 20-year-old man were detected with the infection and both are in home isolation with mild symptoms, said Amit Malakar, nodal officer of the district unit of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
Both don’t have any recent history of outstation travel and their samples have been sent to Bhopal’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for genome sequencing to find out the variant, he said.
Haryana
A 47-year-old woman infected with coronavirus died on Sunday (December 31), the first Covid death in the district in about six months, an official said. The woman, who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital for six days, was also suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure and other health issues, he said.
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Meanwhile, two fresh COVID-19 cases were reported in Gurugram on Monday (January 1), the health department said. Two women, aged 35 and 57, have tested positive for COVID-19. Both of them recently returned from Mumbai. After their health deteriorated, they got tested for COVID-19 and their results came back positive, it said. An official said,
As both women have mild symptoms, they are in home isolation. A doctor is monitoring their health.
Karnataka
Karnataka on Monday (January 1) recorded 296 fresh Covid-19 cases and one death, the Health Department said. According to the Covid bulletin issued by the department, the day saw 50 discharges even as there were 1,245 total active novel coronavirus patients. Of the active patients, 1,179 are under home isolation and 66 have been hospitalised, including 20 in ICU. A 55-year-old man affected by coronavirus was fully vaccinated. He died due to Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI). He was suffering from diabetes, hypertension and chronic kidney disease, the department said.
On Sunday (December 31), the state recorded 229 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, according to the Department of Health and Family Welfare. However, the state did not witness any fatality in the same period, it said.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra on Monday (January 1) reported 70 COVID-19 cases at a positivity rate of 2.09 per cent, down from 131 a day earlier, a health department official said. There were no deaths due to the ailment, while 32 persons were discharged during the day, he added. The state has 693 active cases, of which only 42 are in hospitals, while the remaining are in home isolation, the official said.
Of these 42 persons who are hospitalised, nine are in ICU and 33 are in non-ICU wards, he added. Of over 8.76 crore (8,76,37,095) samples that have been tested since the pandemic began, over 81.72 lakh (81,72,906) have returned positive at a positivity rate of 9.33 per cent, a health department bulletin said. A total of 3,347 samples were tested on Monday, comprising 1,454 by the RT-PCR method and 1,893 through RAT test, it said. The recovery rate in the state stands at 98.17 per cent, the bulletin informed.
Delhi
COVID-19 cases being reported recently are mild infections and that there was no reason to worry, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Tuesday (January 2). The situation in Delhi is still under control and there was no huge rise in cases, Mr Bharadwaj said, adding
The information received about the disease so far from Delhi and neighbouring states has suggested that the cases are mild. Some people have a mild cough and cold, and some have a mild fever. People are recovering from the disease quickly. As of now, there is nothing to worry about.
Amid an uptick in the number of Covid cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in the country, the Centre has asked states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil.
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