COVID-19: Karnataka reports 34 JN.1 cases, including three deaths due to new variant

34 cases of new variant of COVID-19 found in Karnataka, 20 in Bengaluru; 3 deaths reported. No need to panic, follow COVID-19 Appropriate Behavior.

Over a fortnight after the first JN.1 case was detected in Kerala on December 8, as many as 34 cases, including three patients who died in the last week, have been found to be infected with the new sub-variant of Omicron. Bengaluru accounts for 20 of the cases.

Following genome sequencing of 192 samples at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, and NCBS in Bengaluru, the presence of the new variant has been confirmed in 34 cases. Of the samples tested, results of 60 samples are available as of date. “Results of the remaining are likely by Wednesday (Dec. 27),” Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said.

The samples of the three COVID-19 patients who died between December 15 and December 17 — male patients aged 76, 64, and 44 years — from Bengaluru and Ramanagaram were found to be positive for JN.1. They also had several other comorbidities.

Bengaluru accounted for the highest among those infected new variant, accounting for 20 of the 34 cases. While four cases are from Mysuru, three are from Mandya, and one case each has been detected from Ramanagara, Bengaluru Rural, Kodagu, and Chamarajanagar, the Minister said.

On Monday, 125 new cases were reported, taking the total number of active cases to 436. Of the 125 cases, over 75% are from Bengaluru. The city now has 360 active cases.

The State is yet to meet its target of conducting 5,000 COVID-19 tests daily. On Monday, 3,155 tests were done of which 2,072 were RT-PCR tests. With this, the test positivity rate stood at 3.96%.

With three more deaths — one each from Hassan, Bengaluru Urban and Dakshina Kannada — the total number of deaths reported since December 15 has touched seven. The recently formed Cabinet sub-committee will meet on Tuesday to take stock of the situation.