India logs 656 new COVID-19 cases, number of active cases rises to 3,742; Kerala reports one death
The Indian state of Kerala has reported 128 fresh COVID-19 cases and one death due to the infection in the past 24 hours. (Representative Image) Photograph:( PTI )
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While India has seen a dip in the number of daily COVID-19 cases, on Sunday, the number of active cases has risen.
While India has seen a dip in the number of daily COVID-19 cases, on Sunday, the number of active cases has risen.
India registered 656 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours with the total number of active cases now rising to 3,742, according to the data from the Indian health ministry. Meanwhile, the Indian state of Kerala during the same period reported 128 fresh COVID-19 infections and one death due to the disease.
Rise of COVID-19 cases in India
While India saw a dip in the number of daily COVID-19 cases, on Sunday, the number of active cases has risen with the total caseload standing at 4,50,08,620.
The number of people who have recovered from the disease has increased to 4,44,71,545 as the national recovery rate stands at 98.81 per cent, according to the health ministry website.
One death in Kerala
The Indian state of Kerala has reported 128 fresh COVID-19 cases and one death due to the infection in the past 24 hours, according to the health ministry. The number of active cases in the state now stands at 3,000.
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Meanwhile, the number of people who were cured, discharged, or migrated in the last 24 hours after being diagnosed with the infection stood at 296.
The rise in cases in the Indian state also comes amid concern over JN.1, the new COVID-19 sub-variant. So far, the country has reported around 22 cases of the new Covid variant. The first case was found in a 79-year-old woman in Kerala.
Out of the nearly two dozen cases of the new variant, 19 have been detected in Goa ahead of Christmas.
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Amid rising JN.1 cases, the state health officials in Goa, last week said that they are all set to ramp up surveillance and testing to tackle any fresh COVID-19 outbreak, which seems likely given that Goa typically witnesses a heavy footfall of tourists during the holiday season.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday (Dec 19) announced that it would step up its classification of the new COVID-19 variant JN.1 to a standalone “variant of interest”.
(With inputs from agencies)
