India recorded 605 fresh COVID-19 cases and four deaths in the last 24 hours. The active cases have increased to 4002, while India’s overall COVID case tally stands at over 4.5 crore (4,50,18,792). The death toll was recorded at 5,33,396 with four new deaths – two from Kerala and one each in Karnataka and Tripura – reported in the last 24 hours, the data updated at 8am stated.

The number of people who have recovered from the disease has gone up to 4,44,81,341, an increase of 648 since Sunday morning. In Kerala a 70 year-old male with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 81year-old male with T2DM and HTN, and in Karnataka, a 48 year old male with CA and TB died, while one person in Tripura succumbed to COVID.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) reported that 11,838 doses of the vaccine had been administered in the country till January 7. The data is a compilation of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (National Centre for Disease Control), media bulletins and websites of various states at 8am on January 4.

As the winter season sets in, health experts are highlighting a sudden surge in viral infections, influenza, and COVID-19 cases. Dr Nikhil Modi, a senior pulmonologist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, pointed out that the decrease in temperature leads to increase in moisture in the air, low wind speed and also causes an increase in pollution levels. This contributes highly to various infections.

Due to the decrease in temperature the fog combines with the pollution in the air which further leads to the formation of smog. This condition of the atmosphere can cause different types of infections and difficulty in breathing. Both the state and the central government are keeping a close watch on the new Omicron Subvariant JN.1. J.N.1 is a Variant of Interest (VOI) which is under intense scientific scrutiny.   

India on Saturday had a single-day rise of 774 Covid cases while the number of active cases stood at 4,187, the Union health ministry said. As many as two deaths – one each from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat were reported in a span of 24 hours. Of the 4,187 active cases, the majority (over 92%) are recovering under home isolation.

The number of daily cases was in double digits till December 5 but it started to rise again amid cold weather conditions and after the emergence of new Covid-19 variant, JN.1. The central government has asked the state government and union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an upward trend in the number of Covid-cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub variant in the country.

According to reports after December 5, the highest single-day rise of 841 cases was reported on December 31, 2023, which was 0.2% of the peak cases reported in May 2021. A health official said that the JN.1 variant is neither leading to an exponential rise in new cases nor a surge in hospitalisation and mortality in the country.

The Karnataka government has made the Covid test mandatory for those with Influenza like illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI). Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said more than 7000 tests are being done every day and the COVID positivity rate is 3.82%. The positivity rate in the state has not come down yet.

He said those with symptoms are being monitored and tested. Those who are in isolation at home have been told to take extra care. He added it is expected that the trend of decreasing Covid cases may start next week in Karnataka. India has witnessed three waves of Covid-19 in the past with the peak incidence of daily cases and deaths being reported during the Delta wave during April-June 2021. At its peak 4,14,188 cases and 3915 deaths were reported on May 7, 2021.

India on Thursday reported 761 new cases of Covid-19 along with 12 deaths reported in 24 hours as per the Health Ministry data. The total active caseload of the viral disease was logged at 4,423, a decrease of 17 since Wednesday morning. With this, the total count of coronavirus cases in India since its outbreak in January 2020 has reached 4,50,15,896.

Yesterday two patients in Kerala and Karnataka lost their lives due to Covid. Since 2020, as many as 5,33,373 people have died due to coronavirus infection as per government data. Two cases of the Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 were detected in Odisha’s Sundargarh and Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

Director of Health Services, Odisha, Bijay Kumar Mohapatra said of the two cases, one has been detected in a Sundargarh native, who returned from Kerala. He is in home isolation and is doing fine. Another was detected in an 83-year-old woman, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bhubaneshwar. Her condition is stable. Mohapatra said there has been no Covid death in the state and only Covid- infected patient is hospitalized.

Delhi has recorded 48 active Covid cases. Karnataka’s fresh Covid-19 infections on Thursday mounted to 298 from the 260 cases it recorded the day before. 4 Covid-19 deaths were reported in the state, as opposed to one death registered on Wednesday. Karnataka’s positivity rate also inched up from 3.46 % to 3.82 % on Thursday.

According to reports of the 298 cases, 172 cases were registered in Bengaluru alone, making up for 704 active cases in the tech city. With 229 recoveries, the southern state’s active caseload stood at 1,240. Of the four deaths, two emerged from Bengaluru urban district, while Mysuru and Dharwad reported one death each. One death was also reported in Kerala. A sudden spike was observed in the number of daily cases after December 5 due to the emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions.