The emergence of new COVID variantsin several parts of the country has increased fear among people. An offshoot of Omicron subvariant BA.2.86, the JN.1 variant is on the loose right now. The first case of infection caused by the JN.1 variant was detected in Kerala on December 8. Since then, testing and surveillance has been increased in the country. On Friday a total of 640 fresh COVID infections were recorded in the country and the number of active cases climbed to 2,997 from 2,669.
Given the rising number of COVID cases, it is imperative to know the signs of the infection and the preventive measures that can be taken.