Source : INDIATV NEWS
Some COVID-19 cases have been reported mainly from States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka.
As several states in India witness a surge in COVID-19 cases, official sources have said that most of the reported cases are mild in nature and patients are being treated at home. The matter regarding COVID-19 cases was reviewed by the Union Health Secretary on Saturday with the Secretary, Department of Health Research (DHR) and Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), DGHS and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) etc, they said.
Some COVID-19 cases have been reported primarily from states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. According to sources, a robust nationwide system is in place for monitoring respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and ICMR’s pan-India respiratory virus sentinel surveillance network.
Most of Covid cases are mild
“It is observed that most of these cases are mild and under home care,” an official source said.
“It may also be mentioned that there have been some media reports regarding an increase in COVID-19 cases in Singapore, Hong Kong and other countries in the recent past. It has been ascertained from the respective National IHR focal points that there is no indication that the circulating variants are more transmissible or cause more severe disease compared to the previously circulating variants,” the source said.
Sources emphasised that the Union Health Ministry remains alert and is actively monitoring the situation through its various agencies.
NB.1.8.1 and LF.7 variants of COVID detected in India
Meanwhile, according to INSACOG data, one case of the newly emerging COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 and four cases of the LF.7 variant have been identified in India.
As of May 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies LF.7 and NB.1.8 subvariants as Variants Under Monitoring (VUMs), not as Variants of Concern (VOCs) or Variants of Interest (VOIs). But these are the variants reportedly driving the rise in COVID cases in China and parts of Asia.
In India, the JN.1 variant continues to be the most prevalent, accounting for 53% of the samples tested, followed by BA.2 at 26%, and other Omicron sublineages at 20%, according to INSACOG.
As of May 19, the country had 257 active COVID-19 cases. Delhi reported 23 new cases, Andhra Pradesh recorded four in the past 24 hours, Telangana confirmed one case, and a nine-month-old child in Bengaluru tested positive amid a steady increase over the past 20 days. Kerala alone reported 273 cases in May.
(With PTI inputs)
Also Read: COVID-19: Health ministry issues advisory amid rise in cases, urges public not to panic
Also Read: COVID-19: NB.1.8.1 and LF.7 variants of coronavirus detected in India, says INSACOG data
