New Delhi, India

The Covid surge continues to scare India ahead of the New Year holidays as the total number of active cases in the country rises to 4,170.

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The updated figure was revealed on Tuesday (Dec 26) after India logged 412 fresh cases in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the total number of JN.1 COVID variant cases rose to 69. India's southern state of Karnataka registered the highest number of JN.1 variant cases in the country at 34, followed by Goa at 14, Maharashtra at 9, Kerala at 6, Tamil Nadu at 4 and Telangana at 2.

The JN.1 (BA.2.86.1.1) sub-variant of COVID-19 emerged in August in Luxembourg and is a descendant of the Omicron variant of Covid virus.

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JN.1 variant becoming the dominant strain

Experts have warned that the new variant is spreading “rapidly” and is becoming a dominant variant as it’s more transmissible.

“It is more transmissible, it is spreading more rapidly, it is gradually becoming a dominant variant….it is causing more infections but the data also suggests that it is not causing severe infections and hospitalisation. Most of the symptoms are predominantly of the upper airways like fever, cough, cold, sore throat, running nose and body aches,” former AIIMS Director and Senior Pulmonologist Dr Randeep Guleria was quoted as saying by ANI.

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Delhi Covid positivity rate

Delhi’s Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday said the national capital’s Covid positivity rate is around 1 per cent and stressed that people should, instead of panicking, follow precautions during the winter festival season. 

Also read: India logs 116 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours; number of active cases rises to 4,170

Genome sequencing of samples testing positive for COVID-19 has been ramped up, he said.

Do we need a new vaccine?

As per Dr Guleria, a new vaccine is the need of the hour to cover a “broader type of the virus".

Watch: Covid-19 India: WHO says, 'JN.1 poses low risk at present' | The India Story

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“We have had multiple mutations. JN.1 is a sub-lineage of Omicron. So a vaccine which is made against Omicron will be effective against this variant also. We need more data first to show what is the current immunity in the population, and the protection that have based on the previous vaccination that we’ve got, based on that, only can we decide that do we need a new vaccine,” the expert pointed out.

(With inputs from agencies)