In India, the most common variant remains JN.1, comprising 53 per cent of samples tested, followed by BA.2 (26 per cent) and other Omicron sublineages (20 per cent). (Image: PTI/Representative)
New Delhi: India is witnessing an uptick in COVID-19 cases over the past week, alongside a similar increase observed in Southeast Asia. Nine states have reported localized increases. Majority of the cases have been reported in Kerala - 273 cases, followed by Maharashtra (45) and Gujarat (34). Experts, however, emphasise that infections reported in the country remain low, with no alarming trends or new variants of concern identified so far.
In India, the most common variant remains JN.1, comprising 53 per cent of samples tested, followed by BA.2 (26 per cent) and other Omicron sublineages (20 per cent). One case of the newly emerging NB.1.8.1 variant and four instances of the LF.7 type have been detected in the country, according to INSACOG data.
Here are the top 10 updates on this big story:
- Amid the spike in cases in Kerala, state Health Minister Veena George has urged all districts in the southern state to increase Covid-19 surveillance. The highest number was in Kottayam with 82 cases, followed by Thiruvananthapuram with 73, Ernakulam with 49, Pathanamthitta with 30, and Thrissur with 26.
- Neighbouring Karnataka has reported 35 active Covid-19 cases so far this year — 32 of them in Bengaluru. The state government has urged citizens to proactively follow Covid-appropriate behaviour (CAB), even as officials maintain that the situation is under control.
- Forty-five new cases of Covid-19 were reported on Friday in Maharashtra. While Mumbai logged 35 new cases, Pune reported four fresh Covid-19 cases while two each were reported from Raigad and Kolhapur and one each from Thane and Latur.
- Gujarat is another Indian state that has witnessed a sharp upward curve in its Covid graph. At least 34 people have tested positive, with capital Ahmedabad logging 20 cases. Out of the 34 active Covid patients in Gujarat, only two is currently admitted to a hospital, as per officials.
- Delhi has reported 23 COVID-19 cases, prompting the Delhi government to issue an advisory asking all hospitals to prepare for availability of beds, oxygen, medicines and vaccine. Health Minister Pankaj Singh said on Friday that the government is verifying the details whether patients are residents of Delhi or have travel history outside the city.
- Andhra Pradesh has confirmed four Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours — three in Visakhapatnam and one in the Rayalaseema region. State Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav said a woman in Vizag tested positive on Thursday, followed by her family member and a postgraduate medical student who tested positive on Friday.
- Four people have tested positive for COVID-19 here, prompting the health department to increase surveillance in the district, officials said on Friday. While three of the infected individuals are currently in home isolation, one patient has been admitted to a private hospital, they said.
- A COVID-19 case was reported in Hyderabad and the patient, a pulmonologist, has fully recovered, officials said on Friday.
- The sharp increase in cases is linked to waning immunity levels and increased transmissibility of sub-variants. Doctors say even though everyone has contracted the virus at some point in their life, that immunity is now decreasing naturally. This shift in variant dominance has led to a 28 per cent spike in infections even in Southeast Asian cities like Singapore and Hong Kong earlier this month.
- The World Health Organisation has classified JN.1 as a “variant of interest” due to its rapid transmission, though it has not been labelled a “variant of concern," at least for now. Its descendants, LF.7 and NB.1.8 are now under global observation.
