Page 3 - Corona

JN.1 Covid sub-variant cases in Delhi hit 24, patients show mild symptoms

The national capital has so far reported 24 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1, including three patients who were from outside Delhi, with all of them recovering from the infection, officials said on Monday. There is nothing to worry about as the patients had mild symptoms, they said. "The first patient of JN.1 sub-variant had got admitted to a hospital since she was stressed but recovered within a few days. The remaining patients have also recovered. Three of the patients who are from outside Delhi were detected with Covid during pre-operative screening. What we have learnt so far is that majority of the patients have recovered in home isolation," said an official. Delhi had reported its first case of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 in December last year. The official asserted that there are hardly any symptoms and the patients are recovering within two to three days. Till last week, there were 16 cases of JN.1 variant in Delhi. According to the recent reports of genome sequencing ...

682 cases of Covid sub-variant JN.1 reported from 12 states till Jan 7

The number of cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 reported from 12 states till January 7 rose to 682, official sources said on Monday. They said 199 cases have been reported from Karnataka, 148 from Kerala, 139 from Maharashtra, 47 from Goa, 36 from Gujarat, 30 from Andhra Pradesh, 30 from Rajasthan, 26 from Tamil Nadu, 21 from Delhi, three from Odisha, two from Telangana and one from Haryana. Even though the number of cases is rising and the JN.1 sub-variant has been detected in the country, there is no cause of immediate concern as the majority of those infected are opting for home-based treatment, indicating mild illness, officials said. The Centre has asked the states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of Covid cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in the country. States have been urged to ensure effective compliance with the detailed operational guidelines for revised surveillance strategy for COVID-19 shared by the Union .

Maharashtra reports 154 Covid-19 cases, two deaths; JN.1 tally now 139

Maharashtra on Saturday recorded 154 COVID-19 cases and two deaths, which took place in Mumbai and Nagpur, a health official said. The number of cases of the JN.1 variant reached 139 in the state, he added. Mumbai reported 21 COVID-19 cases, the official said. A health department bulletin said 14,790 coronavirus tests were conducted during the day, comprising 12,369 Rapid Antigen Tests and 2,421 through the RT-PCR method. The recovery rate in the state is 98.17 per cent, while the fatality rate stands at 1.81 per cent, as per the bulletin. The positivity rate, or number of cases per 100 tests, is 1.04 per cent.

India records single-day rise of 774 Covid-19 cases, active cases at 4,187

India has recorded a single-day rise of 774 COVID-19 cases while the number of active cases stands at 4,187, the Union health ministry said on Saturday. Two deaths -- one each from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat -- were reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The number of daily cases was in double digits till December 5 but it began to rise again amid cold weather conditions and after the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant, JN.1 After December 5, the highest single-day rise of 841 cases was reported on December 31, 2023, which was 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021, official sources said. Of the 4,187 active cases, the majority (over 92 per cent) are recovering under home isolation. An official source said, "The currently available data suggests that the JN.1 variant is neither leading to an exponential rise in the new cases nor a surge in the hospitalisation and mortality." India has witnessed three waves of COVID-19 in the pa

Covid-19 peaks in Singapore but doctors watching out for possible surges

Doctors in Singapore believe the latest COVID-19 wave has peaked in the country, even as some clinics still face higher than usual patient loads, and doctors are watching out for possible surges in the coming months. The doctors are seeing cases stabilise, down by around 20 per cent from December, according to a Channel News Asia report on Friday. However, clinics are already planning for more man power and medication supplies in anticipation of another surge in the months ahead. Healthway Medical, for instance, now sees an average of 50 to 60 patients come in daily with respiratory infections across its 57 clinics, the report said. COVID-19 and influenza cases make up the bulk of them. This is around 10 per cent higher than regular patient loads but a slight drop from the peak around Christmas. The peak of all the upper respiratory tract infection cases has plateaued. Majority of people have already returned from travelling, CNA quoted head of primary care at Healthway Medical Gr

Covid sub-variant JN.1: 619 cases reported from 12 states till Jan 4

The number of cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 reported from 12 states till January 4 rose to 619, official sources said on Friday. They said 199 cases have been reported from Karnataka, 148 from Kerala, 110 from Maharashtra, 47 from Goa, 36 from Gujarat, 30 from Andhra Pradesh, 26 from Tamil Nadu, 15 from Delhi, 4 from Rajasthan 2 from Telangana and one each from Odisha and Haryana. Even though the number of cases is rising and the JN.1 sub-variant has been detected in the country, there is no cause of immediate concern as the majority of those infected are opting for home-based treatment, indicating mild illness, officials said. The Centre has already asked states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of Covid cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in the country. States have been told to ensure effective compliance of the detailed operational guidelines for revised surveillance strategy for COVID-19 shared by the Union Ministr

New AI model could be used to predict Covid-variant waves, finds research

An artificial intelligence (AI) model can predict which variants of the Covid-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus will likely bring about fresh waves of the infection, a new research has found. The model can detect around 73 per cent of the variants in each country that will cause at least 1,000 cases per 10 lakh people in the three months, following an observation period of one week, and over 80 per cent after two weeks, researchers said. The team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, and The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Israel, analysed 9 SARS-CoV-2 million genetic sequences across 30 countries, collected by the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID). This was combined with data on vaccination rates, infection rates, and other factors. The initiative "promotes the rapid sharing of data from priority pathogens including influenza, hCoV-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hMpxV as well as arboviruses including chikungunya, dengue and zika," ...

Amid JN.1 concern, India records 761 new Covid-19 cases, 12 deaths

India has recorded 761 fresh cases of Covid-19, while the number of active cases stands at 4,334, Union health ministry data showed on Friday

Amid JN.1 scare, India logs 573 new Covid-19 cases, 2 deaths in last 24 hrs

Since the Covid-19 outbreak in January 2020, the country has reported 45 million cases so far

Leh makes masks compulsory in public places amid surge in Covid cases

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, the Leh district administration on Monday said wearing masks in public places will be mandatory for people. Leh recorded 11 COVID-19 cases last week. "In view of rising COVID-19 cases in the district, precautionary measures to contain the spread of COVID-19... are hereby ordered to be followed strictly. "People must ensure compulsory wearing of facemasks in offices, workplaces and public places, including public transport," District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) CEO Santosh Sukhadeve said in an official order. The order also asked people to maintain social distancing in offices and public places. "The general public shall avoid unnecessary gathering and visiting crowded places. All Heads of departments (HoDs) of Leh district and all sub-divisional magistrates shall ensure the compliance of this order," Sukhadeve said. The chief medical officer will ensure rigorous surveillance and submit daily status reports on COVID-19 to the DDMA, he said.

Focus shifts to healthcare delivery in 2023 as Covid stress eases

After three long years of Covid-induced turbulence, 2023 saw a semblance of normalcy in the health sector, allowing the government to turn its attention to other important commitments such as the elimination of sickle cell disease and the launch of Ayushman Bhav to ensure optimum delivery of health schemes. However, by the end of the year, the Covid scare resurfaced as the number of daily cases began to rise due to the emergence of new sub-variant JN.1 and cold weather conditions, prompting the health ministry to step up surveillance. The year began with concerns over the XBB.1.16 variant of the coronavirus leading to some rise in cases, but it eventually petered out, allowing the health ministry officials to focus on other priority areas. A major initiative this year has been the launch of the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July. The mission is aimed at elimination of the disease in India, particularly among the country's tribal

India logs 797 new Covid cases, highest in 225 days; active cases at 4,091

India has logged 797 new cases of COVID-19, the highest in 225 days, while the number of active cases of the infection have been recorded at 4,091, the health ministry said on Friday. Five new fatalities due to Covid-- two from Kerala and one each from Maharashtra, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu -- have been reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The country had recorded 865 new cases on May 19. The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, but the cases have again gone up after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions. The daily numbers were in lakhs at the peak of the pandemic, which began in early 2020 and has seen more than 4.5 crore people getting infected and over 5.3 lakh deaths in about four years since then across the country. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease stands at over 4.4 crore with a national recovery rate of 98.81 per cent, according to the ministry's ...

Delhi govt orders genome sequencing for all Covid cases to detect JN.1

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday said he has reiterated directions for carrying out genome sequencing of positive cases so that cases of JN.1 variant can be confirmed. Talking to PTI Video, he said the government has ramped up Covid testing, with 636 tests conducted on Wednesday. Bharadwaj had on Wednesday confirmed Delhi's first case of JN. 1 variant. "I have reiterated the directions for genome sequencing of all the positive cases, so that the number of cases of new variants can be confirmed. Yesterday, three variants were confirmed, of which two were of the old Omicron variant and the new one is JN.1 variant. The good thing is that the patient diagnosed with the new variant, who was hospitalised, has been discharged," he told PTI Video. He said the patient was a 52-year-old woman who got admitted to the hospital since she got a little worried. "She did not have any severe issues," he added. The minister said that four patients are currently in hospital. He a

Six Covid deaths, 692 new cases in 24 hrs, active caseload at 4,097

As per official data, six deaths have been reported in the country in the last 24 hours - two in Maharashtra, and one each in Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, and West Bengal

DMDK leader Vijayakanth tests positive for Covid, put on ventilator support

DMDK founder-leader Vijayakanth has been put on ventilator support, the party said on Thursday. Diagnostic tests confirmed coronavirus infection, the party said in a release, adding in view of difficulty in breathing, he has been put on ventilator support. Yesteryear Tamil actor and DMDK founder Vijayakanth has been unwell for quite some time and his wife Premalatha took over the reins of the party days ago. Vijayakanth is about 71 years old.

Biological E develops next gen XBB1.5 variant Covid vax, awaits clearance

XBB 1.5 is a sub-variant of Omicron, and a sub-linear of XBB variant. It is a recombinant of the two BA.2 sublineages, and carries a mutation of the spike protein (F486P)

India records 529 fresh Covid-19 infections, 3 deaths in 24 hours

Kerala's case count was below 3000 on Wednesday at 2954 while Maharashtra had 194 active cases

Karnataka announces mandatory 7-day isolation for Covid-19 patients

The mandatory seven-day home isolation rule comes as Karnataka is witnessing an uptick in Covid-19 cases

Covid-19 back this winter but vaccine makers have limited stockpiles

Gennova has 1 mn doses of Omicron-specific vax; Serum's Covovax available at vaccination centres, shows CoWIN

With 6 fresh cases, active caseload of Covid sub-variant JN.1 rises to 69

With six more cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1, the number of infections of the new variant reported in the country have risen to 69, official sources said on Tuesday. Most of these patients are currently in home isolation and there was no increase in hospitalisation rates, they said. NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul had said last week that the new variant was being closely investigated but he stressed on the need for states to ramp up testing and strengthen their surveillance systems. Even though the number of cases is rising and the JN.1 sub-variant has been detected in the country, there is no cause of immediate concern as 92 per cent of those infected are opting for home-based treatment, indicating a mild illness, officials had said. There is also no increase in hospitalisation rates and COVID-19 is an incidental finding in those hospitalised due to other medical conditions, they had said. In a letter to states and Union territories, Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pan