COVID-19 Update: India Records 609 New Cases Of Covid-19 And 9 Deaths in 48 Hours

According to Union Health Ministry data released on January 12, India recorded a spike of 609 coronavirus infections in 24-hour, taking the caseload to 3,422. Unfortunately, 9 deaths were also reported - 2 from Maharashtra, 2 from Karnataka, 3 from WB, 2 from Kerela - the country’s death toll currently stands at 5,33,412.

The ministry also confirmed that the number of active cases increased in several states, which is linked to the emergence of a new variant JN.1 and a drop in temperature. Previously, Covid cases had dropped below 100 until December 5, 2023. The World Health Organisation has categorised the JN.1, an Omicron lineage descendant, a “variant of interest.”

The official estimates state that 44,483,502 people have recovered from the illness, and the country’s recovery rate is 98.81 per cent. The current fatality rate is 1.81 per cent, according to the data available on the health ministry’s website.

To date, a total of 682 cases of the JN.1 sub-variant of COVID-19 have been reported from 12 states across the country till January 6. The government has advised people to follow preventive measures and suggested that individuals with comorbidities use face masks and not panic.

As per the Health Ministry website, 220.67 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have so far been administered to fellow citizens.

For the records, India has already experienced three waves of the virus. At its peak, 414,188 new cases and 3,915 deaths were reported on May 7, 2021.