Covid cases rising, situation in India 'under control': 5 things we know about the fresh surge

Currently, government data shows 257 active COVID cases across various states in the country, with most of them coming from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra.

COVID-19 cases have seen a slight uptick in India in recent days, with the union health ministry updating the database on the number of cases in the country since May 12. 

New COVID-19 cases are attributable to declining immunity among the population, along with the new mutation in the virus.(Representational Image)

Currently, the dashboard shows 257 active COVID cases across various states in the country, with most of them coming from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra. Officials have urged calm, telling news agency PTI that the COVID-19 situation in India is under control.

The surge seems to be due to COVID-19 variants coming from Southeast Asia.

COVID-19 resurgence in India| 5 points

• COVID-19 variants- The JN.1 strain of COVID-19 was first found in August 2023, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated it as a ‘variant of interest’ in December 2023. It is a descendant of the Omicron BA.2.86 variant. The JN.1 variant has about 30 mutations according to WHO, and among them are LF.7 and NB.1.8, the most common among the cases being found in recent weeks.
• COVID wave in Southeast Asia: The new wave of COVID-19 has emerged in Southeast Asia, from Hong Kong and Singapore to Thailand. Most of the cases found in the surge are spreading due to the Omicron variant JN.1 and its related descendants. Singapore saw 14,000+ cases in early May, with similar surges seen in Hong Kong and Thailand.
• Could India be next?: According to a report by ET HealthWorld, the recent surge in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, and Thailand is being attributed to decreasing antibodies to fight off the infection. Medical experts, quoted by the report, believe that the same could happen in India too. A slight spike is already visible in the country in states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Maharashtra. The officials, however, told news agency PTI that the COVID-19 situation in India is under control.
• Celebs test COVID positive: Some celebrities have tested positive for COVID-19 as fears about its resurgence grow. Rumours on social media suggest that Australian cricket sensation Travis Head is ruled out of the ongoing IPL due to the infection. While Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori did confirm that Head had contracted COVID, HT cannot independently verify the claim that he is ruled out of the entire remaining tournament. On the other hand, 90s Bollywood star Shilpa Shirodkar released a statement on Monday confirming that she had tested positive for the virus.
• Is this variant more deadly?: So far, nothing suggests that the new variant of COVID-19 is more transmissible or deadly. But precautions do need to be taken to avoid the virus, along with steering clear of the repeat of the havoc the disease caused in 2020-2021.