India's active Covid-19 cases cross 4k mark; govt says 'there’s no need for panic'

New Delhi: India's active Covid-19 cases on Tuesday crossed 4,000 mark with five deaths reported in the last 24 hours, according to data shared by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Six States--Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, West Bengal and Karnataka accounted for over 72% of the total 4,026 active covid infections, an increase of 512 from yesterday, said the Ministry.

Kerala topped the list with 1,416 active infections, followed by Maharashtra (494), Gujarat (397), Delhi (393), West Bengal (372), and Karnataka (311). Delhi reported four deaths and Maharashtra two, while Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal reported one death each. On Monday, four deaths were reported from across the country, as per the government data.

Health officials said that most of the fatalities reflected complications from co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiac conditions. Senior citizens were among the deceased. An 80-year-old male from Kerala with severe pneumonia and a 73-year-old woman in Maharashtra with diabetes and hypertension were among those who died due to Covid.

The majority of infections are mild and being treated at home, said officials from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Health Ministry. They have assured the public there’s no need for panic but urged continued vigilance.

“We are closely tracking developments. At this stage, there is no reason for concern, but monitoring and caution are essential,” Dr Rajiv Behl, Director General of ICMR had said recently.

As per the Ministry, the current spike is linked to newer Omicron sub-variants—LF.7, XFG, JN.1, and NB.1.8.1—detected in parts of western and southern India through genome sequencing.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified these variants as “Variants Under Monitoring,” suggesting they do not pose a significant global threat at this time.