Rise in corona cases: New variant infecting people...Is it that much dangerous!

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): One case of a new Covid-19 variant NB.1.8.1 and four cases of the LF.7 variant have been reported in India, according to data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG). As of May 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers the LF.7 and NB.1.8.1 sub-variants as 'variants to watch' and not 'variants of concern'. However, these are the variants that are causing a rise in Covid cases in China and parts of Asia.

According to INSACOG data, one case of NB.1.8.1 was reported in Tamil Nadu in April and four cases of LF.7 in Gujarat in May. The most common variant in India remains JN.1, accounting for 53 per cent of the samples tested. It is followed by BA.2 (26 per cent) and other Omicron sublineages (20 per cent).

In the World Health Organization's initial risk assessment, NB.1.8.1 is considered to be a low public health risk globally. Its spike protein mutations such as A435S, V445H and T478I indicate greater transmissibility and immune evasion potential than the variant.

As of May 19, there were 257 cases of Covid in the country. A meeting was recently held under the chairmanship of Director General of Health Services, attended by experts from National Centre for Disease Control, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and other leading health institutions to review the situation.

However, local surges have been reported in several areas. Delhi reported 23 new Covid cases, Andhra Pradesh reported four cases in the last 24 hours, and Telangana confirmed one case. A 9-month-old baby tested positive in Bengaluru amid a gradual increase over the last 20 days.