Kerala Reports 292 New COVID-19 Cases, 3 Deaths

Kerala has registered 292 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours with three deaths, the data from the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

Of the 341 COVID infections reported nationwide till 8 am today, 292 were from Kerala taking the active cases in the state to 2,041, as per the Ministry website.

With the three deaths reported in the state, the total number of people who died due to COVID in Kerala since its outbreak three years ago reached 72,056.

In the last 24 hours, 224 people have recovered from the illness. With that, the total number of cases under this category rose to 68,37,203 till date.

On Tuesday, state Health Minister Veena George had said that despite the increase in COVID cases in Kerala, there was nothing to be concerned about as the state was well prepared to handle the virus infection.

The minister had also said that directions have been issued to provide special facilities for COVID patients and ensure availability of isolation wards, rooms, oxygen beds, ICU beds and ventilators in hospitals.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday classified the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a "variant of interest". It said that the current evidence shows risk to public health was low from the strain.

However, the strain can evade the immune system and transmit more easily than other currently circulating variants, Reuters reported citing at least two experts.

JN.1 has not shown any signs of more severe disease. Hence, the new variant does not pose a great risk, Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health told the news agency.

Initially categorized as a variant of interest within the BA.2.86 parent lineage, JN.1 has now been reclassified by the WHO as an independent variant of interest.

Karnataka has recorded 9 new cases, 3 cases each in Gujarat and Delhi and 1 in Goa.