It was in late 2019 that the first case of Covid infection was reported in China. Soon, the infection spread like wildfire, and it pulled the entire world to a state of shut down for a couple of years.
However, post the introduction of vaccines, things returned to normalcy, and people started leaving masks and other social distancing measures.
But now, latest developments indicate that Covid is not yet over, and a new variant named JN.1 is spreading quickly in several countries.
India is one of the countries which has been facing the wrath of this new variant for the past few days.
According to the latest updates, the Asian giant witnessed 475 new Covid cases in last 24 hours, with the current active cases totaling 3,919.
Government data indicate that Covid is spreading vigorously in Indian states like Kerala, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has also confirmed the presence of the JN.1 variant, according to ARY news.
A spokesperson for Pakistan's Ministry of Health said that all the patients who have been infected are showing mild symptoms.
Nadeem Jan, Pakistan's Caretaker Federal Minister for Health said that the government is closely monitoring the developments.
The minister further noted that 90 percent of Pakistan's population have already received Covid vaccines.
Similarly, Nepal's ministry of health, in a press release revealed that the country has detected JN.1 variant, with 7 out of 16 samples sent for genome sequencing showing the presence of the new mutant variant.
The ministry added that Nepal has been witnessing a rise in Covid cases over the past few days, especially among those returning from India.
Nepal earlier witnessed a surge in Covid infections during the first and second waves, with the pandemic claiming the lives of over 12,000 people.
