Thane, Dec 21 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday held a meeting to review the COVID-19 situation in the state in view of the detection of the JN.1 sub variant in some parts of the country.

The state was fully prepared to tackle the situation and people must not panic but should take precautions, especially due to the upcoming festival and new year season, Shinde said.

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In his address after the meeting that he chaired through video conferencing, Shinde said the symptoms of the new sub variant were mild but it seems to spread faster.

During the meeting, the CM was informed that Maharashtra has 63,000 isolation beds to tackle the ailment, a release by the Thane district information office said.

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He was also informed that the state currently has 45 COVID-19 patients, including 27 in Mumbai, eight each in Pune and Thane and one each in Kolhapur and Raigad.

He directed officials to ensure hospitals are fully equipped with oxygen plants, ventilators, beds and also took stock of the availability of medicines and vaccines, the release said.

"Due to the upcoming (Christmas) festival season and new year, people should take utmost precaution. They should take medical help if they show any symptom," the CM said.

He also asked officials to conduct structural, electrical and fire audits of all health facilities in the state.

India on Thursday recorded 594 fresh COVID-19 infections while the number of active cases increased to 2,669 from 2,311 the previous day, according to Union health ministry data.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)