760 new Covid cases in India, two deaths reported

New Delhi: A single-day rise of 760 new cases of Covid were recorded in the country as two more deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours–one each in Kerala and Karnataka, according to data provided by the Union Health Ministry on Thursday.

The total active caseload of the viral disease was logged at 4,423, a decrease of 17 since Wednesday morning, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. (MoHFW).

The data is a compilation of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (National Centre for Disease Control), media bulletins and websites of various States at 8 am on January 4.

With this, the total count of coronavirus cases in India since its outbreak in January 2020 has reached 4,50,15,896. The death toll due to COVID-19 cases in India has risen to 533373, reflecting an increase of two deaths.

In Kerala, a 39-year-old male with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and in Karnataka a 65-year-old male with Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Decompensated Liver Cirrhosis, Portal Vein Thrombosis, diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) succumbed to Covid.

A total of 5, 31,342 tests were done on January 3 as per the official report by the Indian Council of Medical Research. Both the central and state governments are keeping a close watch on the new Omicron Subvariant JN.1.

JN.1 is a Variant of Interest (VOI) which is under intense scientific scrutiny. As of December 16, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported 7,344 cases of Covid-19 JN.1 subvariant from 41 countries, whereas 145 cases of JN.1 subvariant were reported in India till December 28, as per official sources.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently classified JN.1 as a variant of interest, distinct from its parent lineage BA.2.86.

However, the global health body emphasised that the overall risk posed by JN.1 remains low based on current evidence.