Pune highest in JN.1 variant cases; Covid task force appeals 5-day isolation for positive cases
Maharashtra is taking steps to curb COVID-19 spread: Dy CM Ajit Pawar
The state reported 138 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday. The daily positive rate was 1%, based on 14,077 tests conducted. 32 patients in the state have been identified with the JN.1 variant thus far, with Pune leading the way. Currently, 862 cases are active in the state; 3% of them are hospitalized. Nine of the 765 people who are thought to be in ICUs are thought to be in home isolation.
Those who test positive for COVID-19 are advised by the state COVID task force to observe a five-day home isolation period and make sure that the elderly members of the family are protected by wearing masks and physically separating themselves from them.
The task force experts issued a warning, noting that districts need to keep an eye on the trends of hospitalization and death in the next 15 days due to the recent get-togethers and celebrations surrounding the new year.
In their meeting with health officials on Tuesday, the state task force presented a number of recommendations regarding vaccination, testing, and isolation tactics to address the post-Covid surge. On Thursday, the state is anticipated to release a list of dos and don’ts for the public. The JN.1 variant is likely the reason for the steady increase in cases since mid-December, but there hasn’t been a corresponding rise in hospital admissions or fatalities, according to the task force. The state has released information on three coronavirus-related deaths that were confirmed during December.
There was no rush to vaccinate, the task force reportedly informed the state. Those who are willing and have not received a booster shot, however, may choose to do so. Before this, state representatives declared that they carried approximately 16,000 doses of the intranasal vaccination or iNCOVACC.
In December, weekly detections increased by almost 35 times in the state. The JN.1 variant caused the number of cases to increase from 21 in the first week of December to 701 in the last week.
