Thiruvananthapuram: India recorded 312 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday, including 280 from Kerala, which has been seeing a in cases over the past week. As per government data, the fresh cases came out of 17,605 tests conducted in the past 24 hours. Kerala is witnessing a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases with two people succumbing due to the virus this month. According to official figures, Kerala reported 470 cases in November, and 825 new ones within the first ten days of this month, the highest in India. The state has 1,104 active Covid cases as on Thursday.
“Covid cases are detected in patients admitted to hospital with respiratory symptoms. In most cases, they test negative for H1N1 but positive for Covid. In some patients, the duration of symptoms is longer and they last for a month or two. However, what we notice now is that more than Covid, the symptoms are aggravated due to atmospheric pollution and climate change,” state hospital medical superintendent Dr. Sunny P. Orathel told the Times of India.
Covid Restrictions Likely To be Imposed
The latest data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) has confirmed the presence of JN.1 variant in Kerala, which is currently seeing an uptick in Covid cases. JN.1 is a sub-lineage of the BA.2.86 Omicron variant and was first detected in Luxembourg in August, before spreading to other countries.
As the southern state has been detecting the JN.1 sub-variant of Omicron which has raised fresh concerns, authorities have stressed the need for continuous monitoring of the virus. According to news reports, if the cases continue to rise in the state, the Kerala government may also impose restrictions and preventive measures in sensitive areas.
Tamil Nadu sends eight samples for testing
In view of the new Covid-19 variant JN.1 and increasing caseload in Kerala, the Tamil Nadu state government has sent Covid-19 positive samples for testing. “Due to an increase in cases in Kerala, Tamil Nadu state government ordered an increase in RT-PCR tests wherever there are more fever cases. We have tested 264 people with fever. Of them, eight people tested positive for Covid-19,” health minister Ma Subramanian told reporters here on the sidelines of a conference. The state had conducted more than 200 RT-PCR tests after two or three months.
In just a month, active cases in Kerala spiked from 33 to 768 causing heightened concern. However, experts stated there is nothing to worry about, but stressed the need for continuous monitoring of the viruses.
Covid cases in India
Meanwhile, India saw a single-day rise of 312 new coronavirus infections, the highest since May 31, while the tally of active cases has increased to 1,296, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The death toll was recorded at 5,33,310, as per the data updated at 8 am on Friday.
The country’s Covid case tally is 4.50 crore (4,50,04,142). The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,44,69,536, and the national recovery rate stands at 98.81 per cent, according to the health ministry’s website. According to the ministry’s website, 220.67 crore doses of the vaccine have been administered in the country so far.
NOTE: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified the JN.1 subvariant of Omicron as a “notable descendent lineage,” signalling potential increased transmissibility compared to its predecessors. But, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently reports no evidence of increased public health risk or severity compared to other circulating variants.
