India reports 355 new COVID-19 infections, active case tally now 2,331

New Delhi: India has registered a single-day rise of 355 new COVID-19 infections and the number of active cases of the disease in the country now stands at 2,331, the Union health ministry said on Friday.

Two deaths -- one each from Karnataka and Kerala -- were reported in 24 hours, according to data updated by the ministry at 8 am.

The number of daily cases of Covid had dropped to double-digits before December 5, but it began to increase after the emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions.

After December 5, the highest single-day rise of 841 new cases was reported on December 31, 2023, which is 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021, official sources said.

Of the total active cases, around 92 per cent of patients are recovering under home isolation.

"The currently available data suggests that the JN.1 variant is neither leading to an exponential rise in the new cases nor a surge in hospitalisation and mortality," the official source stated.

India has witnessed three waves of COVID-19 in the past with the peak incidence of daily new cases and deaths reported during the delta wave in April-June 2021.

At its peak, 4,14,188 new cases and 3,915 deaths were reported on May 7, 2021.

Since the pandemic began in early 2020, more than 4.5 crore people have been infected and over 5.3 lakh deaths reported across the country.

According to the ministry's website, the number of people who have recuperated from the disease stands at over 4.4 crore with a national recovery rate of 98.81 per cent.

According to the website, 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered in the country.