India records 573 fresh COVID-19 cases, 2 fatalities

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India has recorded 573 fresh COVID-19 cases and the number of active cases of the infection has increased to 4,565, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.

Two new fatalities due to the disease -- one each in Karnataka and Haryana -- were reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, but COVID-19 cases have again gone up after the emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions.

The daily numbers were in lakhs at the peak of the pandemic, which began in early 2020 and has seen more than 4.5 crore people getting infected and over 5.3 lakh deaths in about four years 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-19 vaccines have so far been administered in the country.

Meanwhile, a total of 263 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been detected in the country so far, with about half of them recorded in Kerala, according to the INSACOG's data updated on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI.

Ten states and Union territories have so far detected the presence of the JN.1 sub-variant of the virus, reported PTI.

These states are Kerala (133), Goa (51), Gujarat (34), Delhi (16), Karnataka (eight), Maharashtra (nine), Rajasthan (five), Tamil Nadu (four), Telangana (two) and Odisha (one), according to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), reported PTI.

The INSACOG's data showed 239 COVID-19 cases recorded in the country in December had the presence of JN.1, while 24 such cases were detected in November, reported PTI.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 as a separate "variant of interest" given its rapidly-increasing spread, but said it poses a "low" global public health risk, reported PTI.

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, reported PTI.

However, in recent weeks, Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 cases continued to be reported from multiple countries and its prevalence has rapidly increased globally, reported PTI.

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

(With inputs from PTI)