India recorded 475 new COVID-19 cases, active tally at 3,919

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India has logged 475 new COVID-19 cases, while the number of active cases of the infection stood at 3,919, the health ministry said on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI.

Six deaths -- three from Karnataka, two from Chhattisgarh and one from Assam -- have been reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am, reported PTI.

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, reported PTI.

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, reported PTI.

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

"The currently available data suggests that the JN.1 variant is neither leading to an exponential rise in the new cases nor a surge in the hospitalisation and mortality," the sources stated, reported PTI.

India has witnessed three waves of COVID-19 in the past with the peak incidence of daily new cases and deaths being reported during the Delta wave in April-June 2021, reported PTI.

At its peak, 4,14,188 new cases and 3,915 deaths were reported on May 7, 2021.

Since the pandemic began in early 2020, more than 4.5 crore people have got infected and over 5.3 lakh have died since then across the country.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease stands at over 4.4 crore with a national recovery rate of 98.81 per cent, according to the ministry's website.

According to the website, 220.67 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have so far been administered in the country.

Meanwhile, sixty-one new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the state on Monday, as per an official update on coronavirus from the Public Health Department of Maharashtra.

The department also reported that 70 patients were discharged on the same day. The recovery rate in the state was recorded at 98.17 per cent while the case fatality rate stood at 1.81 per cent.

A total of 2728 COVID tests were conducted in the state on Monday, which included 1439 first RT-PCR tests and 1305 RAT tests. The positivity rate for the day was 2.23 per cent. As of today, 250 patients have been infected with the JN.1 variant in the state.

(With inputs from PTI)