New Covid wave hits India with 257 fresh cases reported across states

India has reported a rise in COVID-19 cases, with 257 infections confirmed nationwide, according to official data.

The highest number of cases since May 12 has been recorded in Kerala (69), followed by Maharashtra (44) and Tamil Nadu (34).

Other states with new infections include Karnataka (8), Gujarat (6), Delhi (3), and one case each in Haryana, Rajasthan, and Sikkim.

Two deaths linked to the virus were reported in Mumbai at King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital.

Two casualty cases are reported in Mumbai at King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital.

The surge in cases comes amid a broader rise in infections across Southeast Asia, with countries such as Singapore, Thailand, and Hong Kong experiencing new waves driven largely by Omicron subvariants, particularly JN.1 and its related lineages.

In early May, Singapore recorded more than 14,000 new infections, marking a 28% increase from the 11,100 cases reported in late April.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong witnessed its highest weekly COVID-19 death toll in a year, with 31 fatalities in the first week of May.

The city also saw a jump in new infections—from just 33 weekly cases in early March to 1,042 cases in the first week of May, up from 972 the previous week.

Weekly infections in Singapore increased by 28%, from 11,100 in late April to 14,200 in the first week of May.

In response to the growing concern, the Indian Health Ministry conducted a high-level review meeting on Monday.

The session, chaired by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), was attended by officials from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Emergency Medical Relief (EMR) Division, the Disaster Management Cell, the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), and key central government hospitals.

Amid global concern over the JN.1 strain, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated it as a "variant of interest" in December 2023.

Initially detected in August 2023, JN.1 is a descendant of the Omicron BA.2.86 variant.

According to WHO, this variant contains around 30 mutations, with LF.7 and NB.1.8 being among the most commonly identified in recent cases.

The Omicron variation JN.1 and its related offspring are responsible for the majority of the cases discovered during the spike.