COVID-19 Updates: India Records 605 Fresh Cases, 4 Deaths; Active Numbers Drop

India reported 605 new cases of COVID-19, with the number of active cases dropping to 3,643, as stated by the health ministry on Wednesday. According to official data, the country recorded four deaths in the last 24 hours, with two each reported from Karnataka and Kerala. On Tuesday, six deaths were reported in total, including cases from Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Assam.

Until December 5, 2023, daily cases had decreased to double digits, but a resurgence occurred after the emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions. On December 31, 2023, 841 new cases were reported, constituting 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021, according to official sources. The currently available data indicates that the JN.1 variant is not causing an exponential rise in new cases or a surge in hospitalization and mortality, as reported by news agency PTI, citing an official source.

India has witnessed three waves of COVID-19, with the Delta wave in April–June 2021 recording the highest number of daily new cases and deaths. At its peak on May 7, 2021, 4,14,188 new cases and 3,915 deaths were reported. The total number of coronavirus cases in India since the initial outbreak in January 2020 has now reached 4,50,19,819, with the overall death toll rising to 5,33,406. Over 4.5 crore people have been infected, and over 5.3 lakh have died nationwide. The number of recoveries stands at over 4.4 crore, reflecting a national recovery rate of 98.81 per cent, according to the ministry's website.

Notably, 220.67 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country, marking a significant milestone in the vaccination drive. A total of 682 cases of the JN.1 variant have been reported from 12 states across the country till January 6. Kerala and Karnataka witnessed cases of the JN.1 variant, while Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Telangana, Odisha, and Haryana were also affected, according to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).