Covid update: India records 7 deaths, 743 fresh infections
Covid Update: In the last 24 hours, India recorded 743 new cases of COVID-19. According to the Union Health Ministry, the total active caseload increased by seven to 3,997.
Seven deaths have been reported in the country in the last 24 hours, according to official data: three in Kerala, two in Karnataka, and one each in Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu.
With this, the total number of coronavirus cases in India since the virus's outbreak in January 2020 has risen to 4,50,12,484, an increase of 743 cases in the last 24 hours. In India, the death toll from COVID-19 cases has risen to 5,33,358 – an increase of seven deaths in the last 24 hours.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research's official report, 41,797 tests were performed on December 29, 2023.
145 cases of Covid-19 subvariant JN.1 were reported in India as of December 28.
"A total of 145 cases of JN.1 variant have been reported till December 28. These samples were collected between November 21 and December 18, 2023," official sources stated.
Notably, JN.1 is a variant of the Omicron subvariant known as BA.2.86 or Pirola. Kerala reported the first case of the JN.1 variant of COVID-19.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently designated JN.1 as a variant of interest, different from its parent lineage BA.2.86. However, the World Health Organisation emphasised that, based on current evidence, the overall risk posed by JN.1 remains low.
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