Andhra Pradesh Witnesses Surge in Covid Cases; 18 Samples Sent for Variant Analysis

VIJAYAWADA: While hospitalisations remain low, Andhra Pradesh has witnessed a concerning rise in Covid-19 cases over the past two days. Six new positive cases were identified across the state in the past 24 hours, and an additional 18 individuals with Covid symptoms have raised suspicion of the new JN-1 variant.

The spike in cases has prompted authorities to send samples of all 18 suspected individuals for genome sequencing at the Siddhartha Medical College lab in Vijayawada. This sequencing will determine if the JN-1 variant, recently detected in some parts of India, is responsible for the surge.

Health director Dr K. Padmavathi confirmed the new positive cases, specifying two in Kakinada, three in Visakhapatnam, and one in NTR district. While no hospitalisations have been reported thus far, all affected individuals are experiencing mild symptoms.