Mumbai, December 30: As many as 32 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the Greater Mumbai Area on Saturday, the health department said. This brings the total number of positive patients to 208, as per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Public Health Department. Of the new cases, three were hospitalised today (Saturday), increasing the total number of hospitalised patients to 22. Currently, 14 out of 4,215 available beds are occupied, the Public Health Department said.

The Public Health Department also reported that 18 patients recovered and were discharged on Saturday, bringing the total number of recoveries to 60 for December. The total number of active cases is 148, with no detection of the JN.1 variant. It's noted that 51% of these cases are asymptomatic, and the symptomatic cases present mild symptoms and recover within a few days, the health department said. COVID-19 in Maharashtra: State Sees Fresh 50 Coronavirus Cases; Nine Patients of JN.1 Variant.

No COVID-19-related deaths were reported on Saturday. A total of 570 tests were conducted on Saturday, making the progressive total 4,402 tests, the health department said. Meanwhile, India recorded 743 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. The total active caseload increased by seven, reaching 3,997, according to the Union Health Ministry.

As per official data, seven deaths have been reported in the country in the last 24 hours: three in Kerala, two in Karnataka, and one each in Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu. With this, the total count of coronavirus cases in India since its outbreak in January 2020 has reached 4,50,12,484, with an increase of 743 cases in the last 24 hours. The death toll due to COVID-19 cases in India has risen to 55,33,358, reflecting an increase of seven deaths in the last 24 hours. COVID-19 Subvariant JN.1: India Reports 656 Fresh Coronavirus Cases, One Death in Last 24 Hours.

41,797 tests were done on December 29, as per the official report by the Indian Council of Medical Research. India reported a total of 145 cases of COVID-19 subvariant JN.1 till December 28. "A total of 145 cases of JN.1 variant have been reported till December 28. These samples were collected between November 21 and December 18, 2023," official sources told ANI.

Notably, the JN.1 sub-variant is a descendant of the Omicron subvariant known as BA.2.86 or Pirola. The first case of the JN.1 variant of COVID-19 was reported in Kerala. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently classified JN.1 as a variant of interest, distinct from its parent lineage, BA.2.86. However, the global health body emphasised that the overall risk posed by JN.1 remains low based on current evidence.

Ahead of the New Year, both the central and state governments are keeping a close watch on the new Omicron Subvariant JN.1. JN.1 is a Variant of Interest (VOI) that is under intense scientific scrutiny. As of December 16, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported 7,344 cases of the COVID-19 JN.1 subvariant from 41 countries.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) of Delhi has issued guidelines for COVID-19 suspected or positive cases that will be reported at hospitals following the sudden surge in the cases of coronavirus in the country.

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