Northeast Desk, 3rd Jan: India has reported a slight increase in COVID-19 cases, with 602 new infections and 5 deaths in the last 24 hours, raising the nation’s active caseload to 4,440. The recent surge is attributed to the emergence of the Omicron sub-variant JN.1, detected in multiple states, notably in Kerala.
Health authorities, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, have been proactive, issuing guidelines for managing suspected or positive COVID-19 cases in hospitals. The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) data revealed 239 cases with the JN.1 variant in December, indicating its high transmissibility rate surpassing Omicron.
Despite the rise, India maintains a high recovery rate of 98.80%, with 4,44,76,550 individuals recovered. The death toll stands at 5,33,366, representing 1.18% of total cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies JN.1 as a variant of interest, considering it poses a “low” global public health risk.
Precautionary measures include regions like Leh mandating mask-wearing in public and encouraging social distancing. Rajasthan’s medical and health department extends the service period of doctors on an urgent temporary basis until June 2024 to enhance health system preparedness.
India’s vaccination drive progresses, with over 220.67 crore doses administered. The government and health officials remain vigilant, closely monitoring the situation and taking necessary steps to control the virus’s spread.
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