Maharashtra reports 172 new cases of COVID-19 as state’s coronavirus infections indicate rising graph

Talking about the JN.1 sub-variant of Omicron, Maharashtra reported 10 cases till Saturday.

Hyderabad: A healthcare worker conducts a Covid-19 test, amid a rise in coronavirus cases in the country, in Hyderabad, Wednesday, December 27, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Maharashtra COVID-19 cases: The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra reached 172 on Saturday, with zero fatalities, the health department said. These new coronavirus infections indicate an upward trend in the state for weeks.

In the week of December 24 to 30, there were 620 cases, compared to the previous week, December 17 to 24, when only 103 infections were recorded. 19 cases were reported each from December 3 to 9 and from December 10 to 16.

Talking about the JN.1 sub-variant of Omicron, Maharashtra reported 10 cases till Saturday. These cases came from the cities of Thane, Pune and Akola, and the districts of Pune and Sindhudurg.

Omicron XBB.1.16 is a dominant variant of COVID-19 and a total of 1,972 cases have been reported, according to the health department.

In terms of national figures, India reported a decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases, with 743 new infections, which is 54 fewer than the day before. Now the country is dealing with 3,997 active conditions.

Since COVID-19 emerged on the scene in January 2020, India has been hit by as many as 4,50,12,484 cases.

Additionally, the country has reported a total of 145 cases of the COVID-19 subvariant JN.1 as of December 28.

These cases were discovered in samples collected between November 21 and December 18, 2023. The JN.1 subvariant is derived from the Omicron subvariant known as BA.2.86 or Pirola, with Kerala being the first state to report a case.