New Delhi: Forty more cases of the JN. 1 sub-variant of Covid-19 have been recorded, taking the total number of cases of the new variant across the country to 109 as on December 26, official sources said on Wednesday.
Thirty-six cases have been detected in Gujarat, 34 in Karnataka, 14 in Goa, Maharashtra, six in Kerala, four in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu and two in Telangana, they said.
Most of the patients are currently in home isolation, they added.
Dr VK Paul, a member of NITI Aayog (Health), said last week that the new variant was being researched very well, but stressed the need for states to step up testing and their tracking systems.
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, officials have said.
There is also no increase in hospitalization rates and Covid-19 is an incidental location in other people hospitalized due to other medical issues, they said.
Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant last week had written to states and Union territories calling for requisite public health measures to be put in place and underlined the critical Covid-19 control and management strategies considering the ongoing festive season.
States have been asked to effectively comply with the operational rules for the revised Covid-19 surveillance strategy shared through the Union’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
They have asked to monitor and report district-wise cases of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) in all health facilities regularly for early detection of rising trend of cases.
India has seen an increase of 529 Covid-19 cases in a single day, while the number of active cases of infection has been recorded at 4,093, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
According to ministry data updated at 8 a. m. , three new deaths were reported, two in Karnataka and one in Gujarat, in the past 24 hours.
JN. 1 (BA. 2. 86. 1. 1), which was born in August 2023 in Luxembourg and is a descendant of the BA. 2. 86 (Pirola) lineage of SARS-CoV-2.