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JN.1 cases: Kerala reports 24 cases of new Covid-19 variant; total 102 in the country

Kerala reported 353 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, according to data on the Union Health Ministry website on 27 December.

BySumit Jha

Published Dec 27, 2023 | 2:23 PM ⚊UpdatedDec 27, 2023 | 2:23 PM

The WHO declared JN.1 as a separate variant of interest (VOI) on 19 December. (Wikimedia Commons)

Kerala reported 24 cases of the JN.1 variant of Covid-19 as of Wednesday, 27 December. India, overall, has reported a total of 102 cases of JN.1 since November 2023, according to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).

Aside from Kerala, the cases of the JN.1 variant were reported in Gujarat (34), Goa (18), Karnataka (8), Maharashtra (7), Rajasthan (5), Tamil Nadu (4), and Telangana (2).

About the JN.1 variant

The World Health Organization has designated the SARS-CoV-2 subvariant JN.1 as a distinct variant of interest (VOI) from its original lineage BA.2.86 due to its rapid proliferation.

The earliest known case of the JN.1 variant emerged in Kerala on 10 November, when a male patient tested positive for Covid-19, prompting his samples to undergo genomic sequencing.

INSACOG

In December, 86 Covid-19 samples were identified as carrying the JN.1 variant, while there were 36 such cases in November.

According to the INSACOG website, the highest incidence of JN.1 cases was observed in the 50th week, spanning from 10 to 16 December, with 36 reported cases. In the last week, between 17 and 23 December, 29 cases were reported.

Confirming that there were more cases of the JN.1 variant from Karnataka, a senior official from the Department of Health and Family Welfare said, “There are more than eight samples that have tested positive for the JN.1 variant in the state. We have sent them to the Union Health Ministry.”

Also Read: Why are genome sequencing, constant monitoring still important?

Overall Covid-19 cases

Meanwhile, Kerala reported 353 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, according to data on the Union Health Ministry website on Wednesday, 27 December. The state has not reported any new Covid-19 deaths.

Karnataka has reported 74 fresh cases of Covid-19 and two Covid-19-related deaths in the last 24 hours. This takes the total number of active cases in the state to 464.

With this, the total number of Covid-19 related deaths in the state after the recent spike in cases stands at 9.

India saw a single-day rise of 529 Covid-19 infections, while the active cases have decreased to 3,093 as around 603 people recovered from the Covid-19, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The death toll was recorded at 5,33,340 with three new deaths — two from Karnataka, one from Gujarat — reported in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am, stated.

The country’s Covid-19 case tally stood at 4,50,10,189. The number of people who recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,44,72,756, and the national recovery rate stands at 98.81 percent, according to the health ministry’s website. The fatality rate stands at 1.18 percent.

The ministry’s website stated that 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far.

(With PTI inputs)