India reported 339 new COVID-19 cases in a single day, bringing the active caseload to 1,492, as per data from the Union Health Ministry updated on Saturday. The total death toll reached 5,33,311, while the country’s COVID-19 case tally stands at 4,50,04,481. The number of recovered individuals is 4,44,69,678, with a national recovery rate of 98.81%, and the case fatality rate is at 1.19%. India has administered 220.67 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses so far, according to the Health Ministry website.
A case of the COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 was detected in Kerala on December 8. The patient, a 79-year-old woman, had mild symptoms of influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and had recovered from COVID-19. Over 90% of the current COVID-19 cases in India are mild, with individuals in home isolation. An Indian traveler was also found with the JN.1 sub-variant in Singapore, but no increase in cases was observed in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchirapalli district or other places.
The JN.1 sub-variant, a descendant of the Pirola variant (BA.2.86), has unique mutations in the spike protein that may contribute to increased infectivity and immune evasion. However, initial data suggests that updated vaccines and treatments remain effective against JN.1. Globally, 3,608 cases of BA.2.86 and its sub-variants have been reported, mostly from Europe and North America. The US CDC indicates that updated COVID-19 vaccines will help protect against the JN.1 sub-strain, and treatments and testing will remain effective.
Post Your Comments