NEW DELHI: India’s active Covid-19 cases have crossed the 3,000 threshold, with Kerala reporting the highest number of infections, according to data released by the Union health ministry on Saturday. The number of active cases has risen sharply from 257 on May 22 to 3,395 as of May 31. In the last 24 hours alone, 685 new cases were recorded, and four deaths were reported, one each in Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.Health officials maintain there is no reason for alarm. “The severity of infections is low, with most patients under home care,” an official source told news agency PTI.Dr Rajiv Behl, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said on Monday that genome sequencing from affected regions in the west and south of India confirmed that the variants driving the latest increase are all Omicron subvariants — LF.7, XFG, JN.1, and NB.1.8.1. “We should monitor and be vigilant, but there is no cause to worry,” he said.The rise in active cases is most pronounced in Kerala (1,336), followed by Maharashtra (467), Delhi (375), Gujarat (265), Karnataka (234), West Bengal (205), Tamil Nadu (185) and Uttar Pradesh (117).Delhi reported the death of a 60-year-old woman who had acute intestinal obstruction, while Karnataka reported a 63-year-old cancer patient who had co-morbidities including tuberculosis.Odisha health secretary Aswathy S urged residents not to panic, assuring that all seven patients in the state are stable and the situation remains under control. “The latest ICMR report says that the present variant does not exhibit severe symptoms, and most cases are mild,” she said.Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta has reiterated that the city’s hospitals are well-prepared. “Nineteen patients are hospitalised in Delhi, but there is no need to worry. The government is alert,” she said. An earlier advisory instructed hospitals to ensure the availability of beds, oxygen, antibiotics, and vaccines.Karnataka issues precautionary guidelinesAs active cases continue to rise in Karnataka, the state’s health and family welfare department has issued a detailed advisory aimed at preventing further spread.Healthcare workers have been directed to report all Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) cases, especially those with co-morbidities. A portion of these cases will undergo RT-PCR testing, and symptomatic individuals among vulnerable groups — including children, the elderly, and pregnant women, must be tested.The advisory also mandates the tracking of positivity rates and CT values, genome sequencing of severe cases, and sewage surveillance where applicable.With schools set to reopen in June, a separate circular instructed schools to send symptomatic children home and ensure that teachers and staff do not work while ill. “Avoid crowded or poorly ventilated areas, especially for immunocompromised individuals,” the circular said.
