India Records 475 New COVID-19 Cases, 6 Deaths in 24 Hours

India reported 475 new cases of COVID-19, with the active caseload reaching 3,919, as per the Health Ministry on Tuesday. Within 24 hours, six deaths were recorded, three from Karnataka, two from Chhattisgarh, and one from Assam, according to the 8 am update. Daily cases had dropped to double digits until December 5, 2023, but surged due to the emergence of a new variant and colder weather conditions.

Post-December 5, 841 new cases were reported on December 31, 2023, constituting 0.2 percent of the peak cases reported in May 2021, official sources noted. Around 92 percent of the total active cases are recovering under home isolation. Data suggests the JN.1 variant is not causing an exponential rise in new cases or a surge in hospitalization and mortality.

India has experienced three COVID-19 waves, with the peak during the Delta wave in April-June 2021, reporting 4,14,188 new cases and 3,915 deaths on May 7, 2021. Since the pandemic's onset in early 2020, over 4.5 crore people have been infected, and more than 5.3 lakh have died across the country. The recovery rate stands at 98.81 percent, with over 4.4 crore individuals having recuperated.

According to the ministry's website, 220.67 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country.