Covid-19 cases are on the rise in India, with the country recording 614 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, prompting the Union Health Minister to direct states to monitor emerging strains.
This is the highest number of new cases detected since May 21.
As per the latest Union Health Ministry data updated at 8 am Wednesday, India now has 2,311 active cases. Three new deaths have been reported from Kerala, taking the overall death toll to date to 5.33 lakh and the Covid case tally to 4.50 crore.
Active cases
Kerala has recorded the highest spike in total active cases, with 292 new cases in the past 24 hours. This is followed by Tamil Nadu (13 new cases), Maharashtra (11 new cases), Karnataka (9 new cases), Telangana and Puducherry (4 new cases), Delhi and Gujarat (3 new cases), and Goa and Punjab (1 new case), as per ministry data.
20 cases of JN.1 found
Meanwhile, Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) data showed that 20 cases of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been found across the country. Of these, 18 have been traced in Goa and one each in Kerala and Maharashtra.
JN.1, which was earlier classified as a variant of interest (VOI) as part of the BA.2.86 sublineages by the World Health Organisation, was classified a separate “variant of interest” on Tuesday due to its spread. However, the WHO assured that it is still registered “low” on the global public health risk scale.
Health Minister reviews preparedness of health facilities
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya today held a high-level review meeting with states in which he stressed reviewing emerging strains of the virus. Following the meeting, the minister assured the public that there was no need to panic.
आज देश के सभी राज्यों एवं UTs के स्वास्थ्य मंत्रियों व वरिष्ठ अधिकारियों के साथ respiratory illnesses (कोविड-19 समेत) और public health संबंधित तैयारियों को लेकर समीक्षा बैठक की।
बैठक में सभी राज्यों ने स्वास्थ्य सुविधाओं के बेहतर क्रियान्वयन हेतु सकारात्मक दृष्टिकोण रखा। pic.twitter.com/rYkDCIkg2F
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) December 20, 2023
“Today, a review meeting was held with health ministers and senior officials of all the states and UTs of the country regarding preparedness related to respiratory illnesses (including COVID-19) and public health. In the meeting, all the states expressed a positive outlook for better implementation of health facilities,” he said on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“We need to be on the alert but there is no need to panic,” he added. The minister has directed officials to strengthen the surveillance system for whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track the variants through the INSACOG network and ensure timely detection of newer variants.
Singapore on alert
Singapore continues to be on alert though the number of infections seems to have plateaued for now. The Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) had reported a 75 per cent jump in cases last week, registering 56,043 cases as compared to the 32,035 cases that were recorded in the previous week.
However, the latest report in the local The Straits Times paper said that the seven-day moving average of cases has gone down slightly from 7,870 on Dec 12 to 7,730 on Dec 17. Experts said that people, especially the elderly and the vulnerable, should continue to avoid crowded spaces and use facemasks to keep infections at bay.
“The current wave is what we should expect of endemic Covid-19, just like we see with endemic influenza and all the other common respiratory infections. There’s no more reason to worry about the Covid-19 wave than about similar influenza waves in the past. But just because we should not be consumed by anxiety, it doesn’t mean we should do nothing at all,” said Alex Cook, Associate Professor of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
(With inputs from new agencies)