Amid an increase in COVID-19 infections, the Serum Institute of India in Pune may soon sell vaccines against the new JN.1 strain in India. Moneycontrol reported on Friday that it is ready to seek vaccination licensing.

According to a corporate spokeswoman quoted in the study, the Serum Institute presently offers a vaccine against the XBB1 form of COVID-19. It is "very similar" to the variation JN.1. "In the coming months, we are aiming to obtain licensure for this vaccine in India," they said. It further stated that once the records are submitted to the regulators, they will be made public.

The Covishield vaccine, developed by Adar Poonawalla's Serum Institute of India, was widely utilized in India during the first and second waves of the Covid-19 pandemic. Oxford University and AstraZeneca collaborated in its development.

This comes when the number of COVID-19 cases in India, notably the novel JN.1 form, is increasing. The country registered 640 new Covid-19 infections on Friday. The total number of active cases is now 2,997.

The death toll in India since the outbreak began has risen to 533,328, with one more death confirmed in Kerala as of 8 a.m. on Friday. The case fatality rate is at 1.19 percent.

So far, 220.67 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccination have been delivered throughout the country, according to the Health Ministry's website. Experts advise people to exercise caution and maintain good respiratory hygiene. Some states have also ordered that people wear masks in public.x'