India reports new COVID strains NB.1.8.1 & LF.7; experts urge calm, no panic needed
NEW DELHI: The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) reports that four cases of the LF.7 variant and one case of the recently discovered NB.1.8.1 variant have been found in India amid a spike in COVID-19 infections throughout Southeast Asia.
Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and other Southeast Asian nations are seeing an increase in infections as a result of the two Omicron subvariants. Four instances of LF.7 were found in Gujarat in May, while one case of NB.1.8.1 was found in Tamil Nadu in April.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the subvariants LF.7 and NB.1.8 as “variants under monitoring” as of May 2025, rather than “variants of concern” or “variants of interest.”
“Considering the available evidence, the additional public health risk posed by NB.1.8.1 is evaluated as low at the global level,” the WHO said.
JN.1 is the most common circulating variation in India, making up 53% of examined samples. BA.2 comes in second at 26%, with the remaining Omicron sublineages accounting for 20%.
Since the strain is not severe and the majority of patients have only experienced moderate symptoms, experts have advised not panicking.
India reported 257 current COVID-19 cases as of May 19.
The week of May 13–19 saw 164 cases, compared to 93 cases during the week of May 5–12. During this time, one Keralan death was documented. According to health data analyst Krishna Prasad, “India reported 257 cases and one death in May.” He noted that there was a minor increase in instances in May in some states, including Kerala (95), Maharashtra (56), Tamil Nadu (66), Karnataka (13), Gujarat (7), and Delhi (5).
However, given India’s enormous population, officials claimed 257 is a very low amount. The majority of instances are minor and don’t necessitate hospitalization.
A review meeting on the recent COVID-19 cases reported from various states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, was convened on Saturday by Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava.
Authorities emphasized that the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and the ICMR’s sentinel surveillance network provide a strong national system for tracking respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. According to official sources, “It is observed that most of these cases are mild and under home care,”
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