682 cases of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 reported from 12 states till Jan 7

File Photo

The number of cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 reported from 12 states till January 7 rose to 682, official sources said on Monday, reported news agency PTI.

They said 199 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been reported from Karnataka, 148 from Kerala, 139 from Maharashtra, 47 from Goa, 36 from Gujarat, 30 from Andhra Pradesh, 30 from Rajasthan, 26 from Tamil Nadu, 21 from Delhi, three from Odisha, two from Telangana and one from Haryana, reported PTI.

Even though the number of cases is rising and the COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 has been detected in the country, there is no cause of immediate concern as the majority of those infected are opting for home-based treatment, indicating mild illness, officials said, reported PTI.

The Centre has asked the states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in the country, reported PTI.

States have been urged to ensure effective compliance with the detailed operational guidelines for revised surveillance strategy for COVID-19 shared by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, reported PTI.

They have asked to monitor and report district-wise cases of influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory illness in all health facilities regularly for early detection of rising trend of cases, reported PTI.

The WHO has classified JN.1 as a separate "variant of interest" given its rapidly increasing spread but said it poses a "low" global public health risk.

The JN.1 sub-variant of the coronavirus was previously classified as a variant of interest (VOI) as part of the BA.2.86 sub-lineages, the parent lineage that is classified as a VOI, the world body said.

Meanwhile, India has logged 605 new cases of Covid, while the number of active cases of the infection stood at 4,002, the health ministry said on Monday.

Four deaths -- two from Kerala and one each from Karnataka and Tripura -- have been reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, 2023 but cases began to increase after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions.

After December 5, 841 new cases were reported on December 31, 2023 which was 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021, official sources said.

Of the total active cases, a large majority of these (around 92 per cent) are recovering under home isolation.

(With inputs from PTI)