Covid-19: The number of cases of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 reported from 12 states till January 7 rose to 682, news agency PTI reported on Monday, citing official sources.


PTI sources further stated that 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.


According to officials, despite the rise in the number of cases and detection of the JN.1 sub-variant 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, PTI reported.


Amid the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant, the Centre has asked the states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil.


All the states have been urged to ensure effective compliance with the detailed operational guidelines for revised surveillance strategy for Covid-19 shared by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as reported by PTI.


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The World Health Organisation 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. The JN.1 sub-variant of the coronavirus was previously classified as a variant of interest (VOI) as part of the BA.2.86 sub-lineages, the parent lineage that is classified as a VOI, WHO said. 


On Sunday, The Union Health Ministry said that India logged 756 new cases of Covid, while the number of active cases of the infection stood at 4,049. According to the Health Ministry data, the country had reported five deaths, two each from Kerala and Maharashtra and one from Jammu and Kashmir.


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