India recorded 798 new cases of Covid-19 and five deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The active caseload in the country stood at 4,091, while the total death toll reached 5,33,351.
The country also detected 157 cases of the JN.1 sub-variant of coronavirus, which was recently classified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization. Kerala reported the highest number of JN.1 cases at 78, followed by Gujarat at 34, according to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) data.
The JN.1 sub-variant, which is a descendant of the Delta variant, has been found to have increased transmissibility and reduced vaccine effectiveness. The WHO has urged countries to enhance their genomic surveillance and implement public health measures to contain the spread of the variant.
Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said the 50-year-old person diagnosed with the JN.1 sub-variant in the national capital has recovered, adding that there were no active cases of the variant in the city.
India has been witnessing a decline in the daily Covid cases since the peak of the second wave in May 2021, when the country reported over 4 lakh cases in a single day. However, several states have been reporting a slight increase in the cases over the last few weeks, raising concerns over a possible third wave.
The government has been ramping up the vaccination drive to protect the population from the virus. As of Friday, more than 1.3 billion doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in the country, covering over 80% of the eligible population with at least one dose and over 40% with both doses.