India’s active COVID-19 cases cross 1,000 mark; Kerala, Delhi, Maharashtra on alert

Dubai: India has reported a fresh uptick in COVID-19 infections, with the number of active cases crossing the 1,000 mark as of Monday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

A total of 1,009 active cases have been confirmed nationwide, with Kerala, Maharashtra, and Delhi emerging as the states with the highest case counts.

Kerala leads with 430 active cases, followed by Maharashtra with 209 and Delhi with 104, as per official data.

 Other states like Gujarat (83) and Karnataka (47) have also reported notable numbers. Despite the rise, most cases are said to be mild and under home isolation, requiring no hospitalisation.

Amid this resurgence, two COVID-related deaths have been reported in recent days.

In Maharashtra’s Thane, a 21-year-old man from Mumbra succumbed while undergoing treatment at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Kalwa Hospital after being admitted on May 22.

In Bengaluru, Karnataka, an 84-year-old man with severe comorbidities died from multi-organ failure. His COVID test came back positive posthumously.

Federal Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava chaired a high-level review meeting over to assess the rise in cases, especially in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka. While the situation remains under control, the ministry is closely monitoring trends through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Authorities have reaffirmed that COVID-19 is now treated like other viral infections, though basic precautions — like hand hygiene and mask usage in crowded spaces — remain advised.

In the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday assured residents that the situation is being monitored closely.

“Guidelines have been issued to all hospitals, and the government is ensuring preparedness,” she said.

According to Gupta, state-run hospitals have been asked to keep beds, oxygen, medicines and vaccines readily available. An advisory issued last week instructs all health institutions to submit COVID-positive samples for genome sequencing to Lok Nayak Hospital, a key centre for variant tracking.

Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh added that efforts are being made to verify the origin of each reported infection — whether local or travel-related. “We are not seeing a surge but rather sporadic cases,” he said, urging the public to remain calm but cautious.

Meanwhile, genome sequencing data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) indicates that the current rise in cases is linked to newer variants, NB.1.8.1 and LF.7 — both descendants of the JN.1 lineage. These have been detected in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, respectively.

The World Health Organization has classified both as “Variants Under Monitoring,” a category used to flag variants that may require prioritized public health attention.

So far, India has reported seven COVID-related deaths during this resurgence: four in Maharashtra, two in Kerala, and one in Karnataka.

While officials emphasize there is no cause for panic, the resurgence has prompted renewed calls for vigilance, especially in high-density urban areas.