India is seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases, with active numbers crossing the 1,000 mark, and in the past week, official data shows, with seven deaths attributed to the virus.
Most of the cases are mild and do not require hospitalisation, health officials have said.
Two new Omicron sub-variants — LF.7 and NB.1.8 — are contributing to this increase, though the JN.1 remains the dominant strain in the country.
Latest surge
As of May 26, the number of active Covid cases rose to 1,009, a big spike from 257 in the previous week. The uptick has been primarily observed in a few states, with Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka reporting the highest number of new infections.
New variants
The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) has confirmed the presence of LF.7 and NB.1.8. These have been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "Variants Under Monitoring" (VUMs), indicating that they are being watched for any potential increase in transmissibility or severity but are not yet considered "Variants of Concern".
Experts have indicated that while these new variants may possess mutations that allow them to evade prior immunity to some extent, there is currently no evidence to suggest they cause more severe disease than previous Omicron sub-lineages.
Symptoms
The symptoms associated with the latest variants are largely consistent with those of the common flu and previous Omicron strains.
The majority of infected individuals are reporting mild, self-limiting illness. The most commonly reported symptoms include sore throat, fatigue, mild cough, fever, runny or stuffy nose, headache and body aches.
In most cases, patients are recovering at home with symptomatic treatment and do not require hospitalisation.
Are vaccines effective?
India's extensive COVID-19 vaccination program, which administered over 2.2 billion doses, continues to be a cornerstone of the country's defence against the virus.
Vaccines are readily available, including for children aged 12 and above. Health authorities continue to urge eligible individuals to complete their primary vaccination series and receive booster doses as recommended.
The vaccines have proven to be highly effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalisation, and death, even with the emergence of new variants.
While the current surge is mild, vaccination remains a critical tool in mitigating the impact of the virus.
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