Covid-19: India on alert as active cases continue to rise, 2 test positive in Bihar

India again witnesses a surge in Covid-19 cases. The new variant JN.1 has led to a rise in COVID cases to 2,997 in the past 24 hours, while one death was reported in Kerala.

Ten states and one Union Territory also saw an increase in the number of active cases.

As per the Union Health Ministry, they are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh, as well as Puducherry.

The Union Health Ministry has said that 4,44,70,887 people recovered from Covid-19, whereas the country's recovery rate was estimated to be 98.81 percent. Covid vaccination doses totalling 220.67 crores (220,67,79,081) have been given out thus far.

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Recent Covid-19 tests revealed that two residents of Patna, Bihar, tested positive. In the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Science (IGIMS) in Patna, one patient tested positive, but in the ESIC Hospital in Bihta, another patient was confirmed to have the virus.

The state health department stated that the two people have been instructed to stay in home isolation and that their travel history has been discovered.

The first patient is a 29-year-old Patna local who lives in Gardnibagh, and the second patient is a resident of the Banka district. It will be known whether or not the patients have been diagnosed with JN.1 after genome sequencing is completed.

On Wednesday, Mansukh Mandaviya, the Minister of Health, examined how ready medical institutions were nationwide and emphasized the need to be on the lookout for new Covid-19 strains.

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As per Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant, even though cases are rising, 92.8% of patients are in home isolation, indicating minor sickness. 

Officials have advised the public not to panic, saying that the recent increase in Covid-19 instances is not alarming. Wearing face masks as a precaution, though, is what the Center has advised those with comorbidities.

Despite its fast-spreading nature, the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated JN.1 as a distinct "variant of interest" and stated that it presents a "low" danger to global public health.

Originating from the Pirola variety of BA.2.86, the JN.1 subvariant first surfaced in the US in September and began receiving international notice as early as January 2023. Kerala was the site of the first JN.1 case in India, discovered on December 8.