New Delhi: India recorded a single-day rise of 628 new COVID-19 cases on Monday (December 25), while the active caseload jumped to 4,054, according to the Union Health Ministry. The total fatalities were recorded at 5.33 lakh, with one new death reported from Kerala in the previous 24 hours. The country’s Covid case tally is currently at 4.50 crore. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has risen to 4.44 crore, while the national recovery rate stands at 98.81 per cent, according to the health ministry.
The Covid cases in the country are driven by Omicron’s new sub variant, JN.1. Earlier on Sunday, the country recorded a total of 656 cases of Covid-19 subvariant JN.1 and one fatality in the past 24 hours, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Of the total cases reported in the country, 63 cases attributed to COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 including 34 detected in Goa, nine from Maharashtra, eight from Karnataka, six from Kerala, four from Tamil Nadu and two from Telangana.
On Saturday, a multifold spurt in fresh COVID cases was noted in India, with Kerala contributing the majority of those. The country saw a single-day rise of 752 coronavirus infections, the highest since May 21, 2023, while the active cases increased to 3,420, according to Union health ministry data updated on Saturday. There were four new fatalities recorded – two from Kerala, one each in Rajasthan and Karnataka, in a span of 24 hours.
Also Read: 21 Cases Of Covid Sub-Variant JN.1 Found In Three States, Says NITI Aayog Member V K Paul
Here are the updates from several states of India:
Rajasthan
The state logged 11 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday, of which, seven cases were reported from Jaipur and one each from the Alwar, Kota, Dausa and Sawai Madhopur districts. Rajasthan recorded six new cases of Covid infection on Friday and one related death, the state medical and health department said. The patient died in Dausa, due to the virus complications.
The samples of 683 patients were also taken for testing. Meanwhile, a state-level team has been constituted for the prevention and control of Covid infection, amid a rise in cases across the country.
Kerala
Kerala reported 128 fresh COVID-19 cases and one death due to the disease in the last 24 hours, according to data on the Union Health Ministry website on Monday. Of the 315 active coronavirus infections reported nationwide till 8 am today, 128 were from Kerala, taking the active cases in the state to 3,128, as per the website.
With one death reported in the state, the total number of people who have died due to coronavirus in Kerala since its outbreak three years ago reached 72,064.
Karnataka
Amid the rise in cases, Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao urged people to wear masks in crowded places in the wake of the threat of a fresh wave of Covid-19. The minister also said there is no cause for panic, but people should be cautious. No restrictions will be imposed and wearing of masks will not be made compulsory for the time being, he added.
Assam
Assam Health Minister Keshab Mahanta on Saturday (December 23), asserted that there was no reason to be anxious about the COVID-19 situation in the state as no person without any travel history has tested positive for the coronavirus for a long time. He allayed fears about the new sub-variant JN.1, stating that experts have claimed that it is a weak strain of the virus and human bodies have developed immunity to fight it. The Assam Health Department has directed all hospitals in the state to make arrangements to fight against COVID after the detection of many cases of the new COVID subvariant JN.1.
Also Read: Uttarakhand Issues Advisory To Adhere To Covid Prevention Guidelines
Odisha
In response to the emergence of the new COVID sub-variant JN.1, the Odisha Health and Family Welfare Department issued guidelines on Saturday, urging vulnerable populations, particularly the elderly and individuals with pre-existing health conditions, to wear face masks when they go out and avoid crowded places.
Mizoram
Mizoram government on Saturday appealed to the people of the state to adhere to COVID-appropriate behaviour during the upcoming Christmas-New Year festive season in view of an increase in JN.1 sub-variant cases in some parts of the country. Health Minister Lalrinpuii said that although no case of the JN.1 sub-variant has been reported in the northeastern state and there is nothing to panic about, adherence to COVID-appropriate behaviour by every individual is of utmost importance.
Jharkhand
No fresh coronavirus cases have been reported in the state since December 18, however, the state is prepared to deal with any spurt in COVID-19 cases, Alok Trivedi, National Health Mission (NHM) Director, Jhakhand, said. Speaking to the reporters, Mr Trivedi said,
In view of a rising number of coronavirus cases in some states, the Jharkhand health department has already conducted mock drills of functioning of oxygen plants and reviewed the number of beds available with oxygen support, non-oxygen support and those in the ICU as per directions of the Centre.
Maharashtra
Thane city has reported five cases of JN.1 variant of coronavirus out of 20 samples tested since November 30. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the city is 28. Earlier on Sunday, Maharashtra reported 50 new COVID-19 cases, of which nine cases of the JN.1 variant were reported, bringing the total to 10 new variants in the state. Out of these 10 cases, five are in Thane, two in Pune and one each in Sindhudurg, Akola and Pune rural districts.
Also Read: COVID-19 Updates: India Logs More Than 500 Cases, Records Six Deaths From Three States
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
