India Logs 841 New Covid Cases, Highest In 227 Days, Ahead Of New Year

A total of 841 cases were reported on Sunday along with three deaths as per the data by health ministry.

India reported 841 fresh cases of Covid-19 ( Image Source :PTI )

India logged a total of 841 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, taking the number of active cases to 4,309, as per the data published by health ministry. In the last 24 hours, the country reported three deaths — one each from Kerala, Karnataka and Bihar — as per the ministry's data published at 8 am. 

The Sunday tally of Covid-19 infections is the highest in 227 days and coincides with the new year celebrations which poses the risk of fast transmission of the virus. 

On May 19, the country had recorded 865 infections. 

The country was reporting number of infections in double digit till December 5, but the cases have been witnessing an uptick after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions.

The number of people who 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 website.

On Saturday, 743 cases of coronavirus infection were reported in the country with total number of active cases at 3,997, according to the health ministry data. Seven deaths were recorded at the same time —three from Kerala, two from Karnataka and one each from Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu. 

On Friday, 162 cases of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 was detected in the country with the highest number of cases reported from Kerala at 83, followed by Gujarat 34, as per the the INSACOG's data. 

The states that detected and reported cases of JN.1 include: Kerala (83), Gujarat (34), Goa (18), Karnataka (eight), Maharashtra (seven), Rajasthan (five), Tamil Nadu (four), Telangana (two) and Delhi (one), according to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).

The country recorded 145 cases of JN.1 sub-variant of Covid-19 in December while 17 such cases were reported in November. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified JN.1 as a separate "variant of interest" given its rapidly-increasing spread, but said it poses a "low" global public health risk.