India has experienced a slight rise in Covid-19 cases across nine states over the past week, alongside a similar increase observed in Southeast Asia. However, experts emphasise that case numbers in India remain low, with no alarming trends or new variants of concern identified so far.

Following a rise in Covid-19 cases in Singapore and Hong Kong, India has also begun to witness an uptick in infections, particularly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, Chennai, and Ahmedabad. While the overall case count remains relatively low compared to previous waves, health authorities are maintaining close surveillance of the evolving situation.
Specialists suggest that the modest rise in India may not accurately represent the true number of Covid-19 infections, as many individuals with respiratory symptoms do not pursue Covid-19 testing. Nonetheless, there is no indication that the virus has mutated to cause more severe disease. They also note that the “zero” active cases reported in several states might reflect insufficient testing rather than a genuine absence of infections.
The recent surge in cases across Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand is largely attributed to various descendants of the omicron variant, which swept the globe in 2021-2022. Microbiologists monitoring the virus’s evolution state that major changes in infection patterns or severity are unlikely unless the virus undergoes a significant evolutionary shift.

“The variant in Hong Kong is NB.1.8.1, which is a combination of XDV and JN.1. XDV has evolved from XBB, and JN.1 has evolved from BA.2,”  Rajesh Karyakarte, professor and head of microbiology at BJ Medical College, Pune was quoted as saying by Telegraph.

“All are derivatives of omicron variants such as XBB or JN.1 that have widely circulated in India in the past. We don’t expect these derivatives to cause any major shift in hospitalisation patterns. Our high rates of vaccination and natural infections have contributed to the immunity.”