India records 605 new COVID-19 cases, active tally at 3,643

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India has recorded 605 new COVID-19 cases, while the number of active cases of the infection has declined to 3,643, the health ministry said on Wednesday, reported news agency PTI.

Four deaths -- two each from Karnataka and Kerala -- have been reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am, reported PTI.

The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, 2023 but cases began to increase after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions, reported PTI.

After December 5, 841 new COVID-19 cases were reported on December 31, 2023 which was 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021, official sources said, reported PTI.

Of the total active cases, a large majority of these (around 92 per cent) are recovering under home isolation, reported PTI.

"The currently available data suggests that the JN.1 variant is neither leading to an exponential rise in new cases nor a surge in hospitalisation and mortality," the official source stated, reported PTI.

India has witnessed three waves of COVID-19 in the past with the peak incidence of daily new cases and deaths being reported during the Delta wave in April-June 2021.

At its peak, 4,14,188 new cases and 3,915 deaths were reported on May 7, 2021.

Since the pandemic began in early 2020, more than 4.5 crore people have got infected and over 5.3 lakh have died since then across the country.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease stands at over 4.4 crore with a national recovery rate of 98.81 per cent, according to the ministry's website.

According to the website, 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered in the country.

The Centre has asked the states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant of the virus in the country.

The states have been urged to ensure effective compliance of the detailed operational guidelines for the revised Covid surveillance strategy shared with them by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The states have also been asked to monitor and regularly report district-wise cases of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) from all health facilities for an early detection of a rising trend of cases.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified JN.1 as a separate "variant of interest" given its rapidly-increasing spread, but said it poses a "low" global public health risk.

The JN.1 sub-variant of the coronavirus was previously classified as a variant of interest (VOI) as part of the BA.2.86 sub-lineages, the parent lineage that is classified as a VOI, the world body said.

(With inputs from PTI)