Kerala accounted for about 90% of infections detected in the country, in the fresh spurt of Covid.

The state reported 302 of the 335 new cases in the country on Sunday.

Of the 1,701 active cases reported in the country, 1,523 are in Kerala. Health experts attribute the steady reporting of cases and the detection of JN.1, a mild sub-variant of Omicron, to the state's vigilant health monitoring.

Although JN.1 is considered mild, its ability to spread faster and escape immunity are being closely monitored worldwide. In India, it was first detected in a 79-year-old woman from Karakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, on December 8. She had gone to a private hospital in the state capital with mild symptoms of influenza-like illness (ILI). Her samples were collected for RT-PCR testing on November 18, 11 days before the health department decided to strengthen its Covid vigil. Despite comorbidities, the patient recovered, said an official as reported by the New Indian Express.

The November 29 Directorate of Health Services circular also issued directions on COVID and influenza red flags in adults and children, isolation of symptomatic patients, and RT-PCR tests for those turning negative in antigen testing.

Following the directive, more RT-PCR kits were made available in major hospitals, said the official. Health Minister Veena George stressed that the state has not lowered its guard on Covid. "Detection of the new variant is not a cause for concern. This was made possible by our constant monitoring and robust health system," she said. In November, a Tamil Nadu native was screened for the new variant in Singapore.

Downplaying concerns, health experts noted that while JN.1 may lead to increased reinfections, there is no evidence suggesting a significant threat to public health. "The reinfections would pick up significantly due to the immune escape property of JN.1. But there is no evidence to suggest that it could pose a significant threat to public health compared to other variants," said Dr Vinod Scaria, senior consultant (genome informatics & computational biology), Vishwanath Cancer Care Foundation.