India reports 628 new Covid-19 cases, active caseload stands at 4,054

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India has recorded a daily increase of 628 new Covid-19 cases, causing the active caseload to rise to 4,054, as per the latest data from the Union Health Ministry, according to a report in PTI.

The report stated that the total fatalities have reached 5,33,334 (5.33 lakh), with one new death reported from Kerala in the previous 24 hours, as indicated by the data updated at 8 am.

The nation's Covid-19 case tally now stands at 4,50,09,248 (4.50 crore). The number of individuals recovering from the disease has escalated to 4,44,71,860 (4.44 crore), contributing to a national recovery rate of 98.81%, as per the health ministry's website, the PTI report added.

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The case fatality rate currently stands at 1.19%. Additionally, the ministry's website reports that 220.67 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar confirmed Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dhananjay Munde's positive Covid-19 diagnosis, urging calm among the public.

According to the PTI report, Pawar assured reporters, "There's no need to panic regarding the viral infection. We are actively addressing the situation and have issued necessary directives to contain its spread within the state."

Munde's office confirmed the news, confirming his positive coronavirus test result. However, no specifics about the variant were revealed, the report added.

Munde received his positive test result on December 20, the penultimate day of the state legislature's winter session in Nagpur, according to a minister's office staffer. "After testing positive, the minister was immediately isolated at home and followed all medical protocols." He currently has no symptoms and has resumed his job via video conferences, supervising numerous ongoing tasks," the staffer added, according to the report.

The staffer also mentioned that some people in Munde's office had symptoms but dutifully followed safety rules, avoiding close contact with others. "At the moment, none of us are showing any signs of infection," the staffer assured.

The PTI report stated that the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated the novel JN.1 strain as a "variant of interest" in Covid-19 because of its rapid spread. The WHO, on the other hand, rated its worldwide public health risk as "low."

According to the most recent health department update, Maharashtra reported 50 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 81,72,135 since the initial outbreak over three years ago. Nine of the additional cases were linked to the JN.1 strain, bringing the total number of illnesses linked to this new subvariant in the state to ten, the report added.