327 infected with Covid JN.1 variant in Pune between Dec 20-Jan 31
The first case of JN.1, Covid-19 infection was reported on December 20 in a 41-year-old male from Sindhudurg
The Pune district has reported 327 JN.1 Covid infection cases between December 20 and January 31, the highest in Maharashtra. The state has so far reported 662 cases of JN.1 variant of Covid-19, of which almost 50% cases are from the Pune district, said officials of the state health department on Wednesday.
The first case of JN.1, Covid-19 infection was reported on December 20 in a 41-year-old male from Sindhudurg.
As per the health department on Wednesday, Maharashtra reported 662 cases of JN.1 infection, a sub-variant of the Omicron strain of Covid-19 in 26 districts of the state. Out of these 662 patients, 327 are from the Pune district, followed by 88 in Thane, 55 in Nagpur and 54 in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar respectively.
Over seventeen districts have reported JN.1 infection cases in single digits.
However, in the past three weeks, there has been a significant drop in the number of fresh Covid-19 cases in Pune district and across the state.
Pune district on Wednesday reported 11 fresh Covid cases. Of which, Pune Municipal Corporation(PMC) reported eight fresh cases, one case in Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and two in Pune rural area.
Currently, there are 40 active Covid-19 cases in the Pune district.
The state on Wednesday reported 45 fresh Covid-19 cases and 56 patients were discharged after recovery from the virus infection, taking the total number of active cases in the state to 216 cases. One death was reported in Sangli, said officials.
Dr Rajesh Karyakarte, head of microbiology department at BJ Medical College and member of state Covid-19 task force, said, the new JN.1 Covid-19 infection was already in circulation and found during genome sequencing.
“As per our studies the JN.1 new sub-lineage of omicron sub-variant of Covid-19 is mild and due to which the number of hospitalisation is less and deaths is negligible amongst infected patients,” he said.