Covid JN.1 India Update: 827 cases from 12 states; Maharashtra on top with 250; at least 150 in Pune alone

India has reported 827 cases of JN.1 COVID-19. These infections have been registered in 12 states with Maharashtra logging maximum of 250 patients of sub-variant of coronavirus. “A total of 827 cases of JN.1 series variant have been reported from 12 states in India till 11 January, 2024. Highest number of cases (250) reported in Maharashtra,” ANI quoted sources as saying. 12 states where JN.1 cases have been reported According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), COVID-19 sub-variant, JN.1, cases have been reported in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Delhi, Odisha and Haryana. Of the total 250 JN.1 cases in Maharashtra, at least 150 infections have been reported alone in Pune. India’s first JN.1 COVID-19 case India’s first-case of COVID-19 was detected in Kerala on 8 December. In states like Maharashtra, the variant has become the dominant one. ‘COVID is still killing’ Addressing the first press conference of 2024, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said COVID-19 risk is still high. “Although COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, the virus is still circulating, changing, and killing,” the UN health agency’s chief. Tedros urged governments to maintain virus surveillance and sequencing, and to ensure access to affordable and reliable tests, treatments and vaccines. “And we continue to call on individuals to be vaccinated, to test, to wear masks where needed and to ensure crowded indoor spaces are well ventilated,” he said. In May 2023, WHO had declared an end to COVID as an international public health emergency, more than three years on from when the virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. India COVID-19 update The Union Health Minister Thursday said India recorded 514 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths in a span of 24 hours. Of the three fatalities reported, two were from Maharashtra and one from Karnataka. On Wednesday, the country reported 605 new Covid-19 cases and four deaths. The active caseload continued to see a downward trend, with the tally at 3,643 from 3,422 the previous day. The rise in COVID-19 cases are attributed to the emergence of JN.1 sub-variant of the virus and cold weather conditions. With inputs from agencies