First Case of JN.1 COVID Variant Detected in Odisha, Active Cases 27

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is among the 11 states, where a total of 511 cases of the JN.1 variant of COVID have been reported till January 2, the Union Health Ministry informed on Wednesday.

The highest number of JN.1 variant infections were reported from Karnataka (199), followed by Kerala (148), Goa (47), Gujarat (36), Maharashtra (32), Tamil Nadu (26) and Delhi (15). Four cases have been reported from Rajasthan, two from Telangana and one each from Odisha and Haryana.

JN.1 is a sub-variant of the Omicron lineage that spreads faster than the other Omicron variants but does not cause more severe disease.

Meanwhile, three new COVID infections were detected in Odisha during the past 24 hours. With it, the number of active cases in the state rose to 27.