India on Sunday saw a dip in the daily Covid-19 cases, with the country registering 656 infections in the past 24 hours. On Saturday, India recorded a total of 752 cases in the past 24 hours.

According to the Union health ministry data, the active cases in the country have increased to 3,742, while the total caseload remained at 4.50 crore (4,50,08,620).

One new Covid-related death was reported from Kerala in 24 hours, with the death toll at 5,33,333. The case fatality rate stood at 1.19 per cent. Meanwhile, the number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,44,71,545, and the national recovery rate stands at 98.81 per cent, according to the health ministry’s website.

This comes amid the rising concern over the emergence of a new Covid-19 variant JN.1. India has reported as many as 22 cases of the new Covid variant so far, spreading concerns across the country. The first case was found in a 79-year-old woman in Kerala. Out of the total cases, 19 have been detected in Goa, one in Kerala and Maharashtra each, while details of one case are yet to be disclosed.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified the JN.1 variant – a descendant of the Omicron virus – as a ‘variant of interest’. However, the global health body emphasised that the overall risk posed by JN.1 remains low based on current evidence.

While experts have advised to look out for symptoms such as cough, cold, throat pain, headache, loose motions, and mild breathlessness, and take precautionary measures, they have also said that there is no need to panic at this point. According to former AIIMS director and senior pulmonologist Dr Randeep Guleria, while N.1 is more transmissible, it is not causing severe infections or hospitalisations.

(With inputs from agencies)