India Reports 4,000+ Current Active COVID Cases and 5 Fatalities Today
On Friday, India recorded 4,091 currently active cases of Covid-19 along with five reported deaths. The Union Health Ministry’s data reveals that Kerala has the highest number of Covid-19 cases, standing at 2,522, followed by Karnataka with 568, Maharashtra with 369, Tamil Nadu with 156, and so on.
According to health ministry data, Kerala has reported two fatalities due to Covid-19, while Maharashtra, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu have each recorded one death.
On December 5, the daily case count had decreased to two-digit figures, but following the emergence of a new variant and colder weather conditions, there has been a resurgence in cases.
During the height of the pandemic that started in early 2020, daily infection numbers reached lakhs. Over the course of about four years, more than 4.5 crore individuals have been infected, resulting in over 5.3 lakh deaths nationwide.
Over 44 million people have effectively overcome the infection, indicating a national recovery rate of 98.81%, as per information available on the ministry’s website. Additionally, the website reports that the country has distributed a cumulative total of 2.2067 billion doses of Covid vaccines so far.
On Thursday, Jammu recorded its first instances of COVID-19 in quite a while. The infected individual has no recent travel record but had close contact with an individual who had returned from overseas a few days earlier.
The Delhi government is closely monitoring the newly identified coronavirus variant, JN.1. Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj conducted an assessment of the preparedness at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital yesterday.
On Thursday, Delhi confirmed two additional Covid-19 cases, and their test results were forwarded for genome sequencing to determine if they corresponded to the JN.1 sub-variant. In Gujarat, 22 out of 36 individuals infected with sub-variant JN.1 have successfully recovered. Nationally, a total of 157 cases of the Covid-19 sub-variant have been identified as of Thursday, with Kerala documenting the most cases at 78, followed by Gujarat with 34 cases.
The District Magistrate of Gurugram, Nishant Kumar Yadav, has directed hospitals to establish isolation wards, designate a specific section within each ICU, and create a separate OPD for patients in response to the increasing number of active COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, the well-known Tamil Nadu actor Vijayakant passed away after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Additionally, the health government of Karnataka has made it mandatory for individuals testing positive for COVID-19 to undergo home isolation.
The Covid-19 special task force has been reestablished by the Maharashtra government, with the inaugural meeting held on Thursday. Health Minister Tanaji Sawant emphasized the importance of adhering to COVID-19 guidelines and wearing masks in crowded places during New Year celebrations and religious visits, reassuring the public about the JN.1 variant. Additionally, individuals with underlying health conditions are advised to exercise extra caution.
In Karnataka, the government has mandated a seven-day home isolation for infected individuals and implemented Tele ICU monitoring for patients in intensive care units.
