Covid-19: 157 cases of sub-variant JN.1 detected in India; highest from Kerala, Gujarat

A total of 157 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been detected in the country, with Kerala reporting the highest number of 78, followed by Gujarat at 34, according to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) updated on Thursday. Kerala has 78 cases followed by Gujarat (34), Goa (18), Karnataka (eight), Maharashtra (seven), Rajasthan (five), Tamil Nadu (four), Telangana (two) and Delhi (one), according to INSACOG. The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, but infections have again gone up after the emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions. 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. At least two fresh cases of COVID-19 were reported on Thursday in Delhi, said the Medical Superintendent of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital. Meanwhile, the reports of the positive cases have been sent for genome sequencing to confirm instances of the sub-variant, JN.1, added the Medical Superintendent. The INSACOG’s data showed 141 Covid cases recorded in the country in December had the presence of JN.1, while 16 such cases were detected in November. Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj visited Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital to assess the preparedness. Earlier today, Bhardwaj asserted that there are no new cases of JN.1 subvariant of COVID in Delhi at present after one patient infected with the virus was discharged on Thursday. “We have increased the number of tests. Yesterday, we performed 636 tests in private and government hospitals combined. Three genome sequencing results were received yesterday, out of which two were old Omicron variants and one was JN.1,” Minister Bhardwaj said. Reassuring the public, the Health Minister highlighted, “The new variant is mild, and people are not getting severely ill because of this. Providing specifics on the patient with the JN.1 variant, he said, “The patient has already been discharged from the hospital and is healthy now.““We can say that there are no patients of JN.1 variant in Delhi currently,” he added. According to the Union Health Ministry data, India recorded 692 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. The total active caseload increased by four, reaching 4,097, the health ministry data said. As per official data, six deaths have been reported in the country in the last 24 hours - two in Maharashtra, and one each in Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, and West Bengal. With this, the total count of coronavirus cases in India since its outbreak in January 2020 has reached 4,50,10,944, with an increase of 702 cases in the last 24 hours. The total death toll due to COVID-19 cases in India has risen to 5,33,346, reflecting an increase of six deaths in the last 24 hours. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi has issued guidelines for COVID-19 suspected or positive cases that will be reported at hospitals following the sudden surge in the cases of Coronavirus in the country. The JN.1 sub-variant is a descendant of the Omicron subvariant known as BA.2.86 or Pirola. The first case of the JN.1 variant of COVID-19 was reported in Kerala. A total of 109 cases of the JN.1 sub-variant have been detected in India until Wednesday, as per Health Ministry sources. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently classified JN.1 as a variant of interest, distinct from its parent lineage BA.2.86. However, the global health body emphasised that the overall risk posed by JN.1 remains low based on current evidence. With inputs from agencies.