COVID-19 suge in India: A total of 63 cases of the COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been reported in the country till Sunday, with Goa registering the highest number of fresh cases, official sources said on Monday.
As per the official, 34 cases were reported from Goa, nine from Maharashtra, eight from Karnataka, six from Kerala, four from Tamil Nadu and two from Telangana. However, there has been no clustering of cases reported so far and all the cases of the JN.1 subvariant have mild symptoms.
Health officials had said that even though the number of cases is rising and the JN.1 sub-variant has been detected in the country, there is no cause of immediate concern as 92 per cent of those infected are opting for home-based treatment, indicating a mild illness. There is also no increase in hospitalisation rates and Covid-19 is an incidental finding in those hospitalised due to other medical conditions.
India logs 628 fresh infections
India logged 628 new COVID-19 infections while Kerala reported 128 fresh cases and one death due to the disease in the last 24 hours, according to Union Health Ministry data.
The total fatalities were recorded at 5,33,334 (5.33 lakh) with one new death reported from Kerala in the previous 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. The country's Covid case tally is currently at 4,50,09,248 (4.50 crore).
WHO asks nations to strengthen surveillance
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged countries in South-East Asia to strengthen surveillance given the increasing cases of respiratory diseases, including due to COVID-19 and its new sub-variant JN.1, and influenza. The WHO also urged people to take protective measures.
WHO has classified JN.1 as a variant of interest following its rapid global spread. In recent weeks, JN.1 was reported in multiple countries, and its prevalence has been rapidly increasing globally. Considering the limited available evidence, the additional public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low at the global level, Singh said.
It is anticipated that this variant may cause an increase in COVID-19 cases amid surge of infections of other viral and bacterial infections, especially in countries entering the winter season.
(With agencies input)
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