The Centre on Monday asked states and union territories to maintain constant vigil amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases and the detection of the first case of the new JN.1 variant in the country.
In a letter to states and union territories, Union health secretary Sudhansh Pant underlined that “due to consistent and collaborative actions between the Centre and state governments, we have been able to sustain the (COVID-19) trajectory at sustainable low rates”.
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26 May 2025
“However, as the COVID-19 virus continues to circulate and its epidemiology behaviour gets settled with Indian weather conditions and circulation of other usual pathogens, it is important to keep the momentum going to effectively deal with the challenges in public health,” he said.
Recently, a few states like Kerala have reported a slight increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, Pant noted.
India’s first case of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 was detected in Kerala on December 8.
Earlier, a traveller from Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchirapalli district tested positive for the JN.1 variant in Singapore.Considering the upcoming festive season, Pant said, states should put in place requisite public health measures and other arrangements to minimise the risk of transmission of the disease.
