Covid matters are increasing again. Should we worry?

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Soumya Gupta 2 min read May 22, 2025, 05:30 am IT According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India has 257 active Covid cases, largely in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Summary What causes the increase in Covid cases? Should we be afraid, and what can we do about it? Singapore, Hong Kong, China and some countries in Southeast Asia have again reported a modest rise in Covid cases, just like parts of India. What causes the rise? Should we be afraid, and what can we do about it? Coin explained. How big is the increase in Covid cases? It is significant, but nothing like the levels we saw during 2020-2021. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India has 257 active Covid cases, mainly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The ministry recorded one death this month, but is still confirming deaths in Kerala. Meanwhile, the Singapore Ministry said that things had grown to 14,200 in early May, with 133 daily in hospital. China’s Center for Disease Control has also reported an increase in cases. From the samples collected weekly, those with Covid rose to 16.2% in early May, while the rates of those admitted to hospital rose to more than 6%. Read also | Covid-19 Like a new BAT virus HKU5 COV discovered at Wuhan Lab, can people enter the same gate as Coronavirus, causing this rise? Scientists in countries pointed to descendants of the JN.1 variant, a version of Covid that originated in Europe and spread to France, the United Kingdom and later North America that began in the late 2023. In December 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a variant of interest (but not concern), because it spread faster than previous versions of Covid and dominated the world. Sovereign health authorities, such as Singapore, said that tribes including LF.7 and NB.1.8. is responsible for the continuous increase in cases. But at the WHO, it was not yet variants who monitor it on April 14. So is there reason to worry? Experts and the data say no. India’s 257 case tax is a fraction of what we saw at the peak of the pandemic. During the second wave in 2021, India reported 300,000-400,000 cases per day. Besides, the WHO says JN.1 only causes mild symptoms. Healthcare authorities have found no evidence worldwide that the latest variant causes severe symptoms. Read also | Covid-19 Revival: What is the Jn.1 variant of Coronavirus? What are the symptoms? Why is this increase of interest? Because flu and related respiratory viruses are typically spread in winter, healthcare systems can prepare for seasonal peaks and annual vaccinations. However, this increase shows that Covid can increase over seasons. While the rise in Asia is taking place in the summer months this year, last year’s nails occurred in the late summer, autumn and the winter months. Last June, the US Centers for Disease Control said Covid could increase around the year and cause relatively more intense local outbreaks. What does this mean for public health? Experts in India, Singapore and China have asked people to see basic precautions, including a mask, or to cover your nose and mouth if your cough or sneezing, and to keep up to date with JABS. They also asked people to stay at home and avoid traveling when they are bad and regularly wash their hands. So far, however, healthcare authorities in India and abroad have not officially imposed any restrictions on the pandemic era such as masks and social distance. Read also | Covid cases in India: Mumbai, Pune, Chennai Log Fresh Cases Catch all the business news, market news, news reports and latest news updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More Topics #Primer #Covid Read Next Story