Kathmandu, May 28
India is witnessing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases with 1,081 active cases reported nationwide, according to Indian media.
On Tuesday alone, Karnataka recorded 36 new cases, Gujarat 17, Bihar 6, and Haryana 3. Kerala has the highest number of active cases with 430. In Gujarat, 13 patients have recovered.
In Uttar Pradesh, a 78-year-old man died in Firozabad—the state’s first death linked to a new COVID variant. Additional deaths have been reported in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh, bringing the nationwide death toll to 12.
Four new variants identified
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has confirmed four new variants: LF.7, XFG, JN.1, and NB.1.8.1. Some were identified through gene sequencing of samples from southern and western India.
ICMR Director Dr Rajiv Bahl told Indian media that the situation is not yet severe but urged caution. The World Health Organization has categorised these variants as “under monitoring” rather than “variants of concern.”
JN.1 remains the dominant strain in India, found in over half of the tested samples, followed by BA.2 (26%) and other Omicron sub-variants (20%). First detected in August 2023, JN.1 was declared a “variant of interest” by WHO in December 2023 and contains about 30 mutations that may weaken immune defenses.
According to Johns Hopkins University, JN.1 spreads rapidly but typically causes mild symptoms. It has become the dominant strain in several countries.
NB.1.8.1, with multiple spike protein mutations, is believed to spread faster and evade immunity from previous infections or vaccinations.
Symptoms of JN.1 may persist for days or weeks. Experts warn of the risk of “long COVID” if symptoms linger beyond recovery.
