Covid: Amid a sudden surge in Covid cases after new strain JN.1 surfaced, a Noida resident has tested positive after a gap of several months, officials said. It is yet to be confirmed whether the person was infected by the latest sub-variant of coronavirus.
The patient is a 54-year-old male who lives in Noida but works at a multinational company in Gurugram, Gautam Buddh Nagar Chief Medical Officer Dr Sunil Sharma said on Thursday.
"His test sample has been sent to Delhi for genome sequencing. The result is awaited," Sharma said.
District Surveillance Officer and public healthcare expert Dr Amit Kumar said the patient travelled to Nepal earlier this month and also went to work at his Gurugram office after returning.
Patient is asymptomatic
"The patient is asymptomatic and went for the COVID-19 test on his own," Kumar said, adding that this is the only confirmed case in Gautam Buddh Nagar so far.
CMO Sharma said testing for the virus had come down in the district this year. People can get themselves tested for Covid at primary and community health centres here and the district hospital, he added.
The healthcare department, meanwhile, urged residents to follow Covid-appropriate measures amid concerns over the infection spreading once again.
People should wash their hands with a soap for a minute, practice social distancing, use alcohol-based sanitisers, wear face mask when outdoors, among other measures, Kumar said.
Kerala reports over 250 fresh cases
Kerala has reported 265 fresh COVID-19 infections and one death due to the disease in the last 24 hours, according to data on the Union Health Ministry website on Friday.
Of the 328 coronavirus infections reported nationwide till 8 am today, 265 were from Kerala, taking the active cases in the state to 2,606, 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 72,060.
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