&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "COVID-19: India sees rise in cases with new variants; Maharashtra sees 47 new cases, Jharkhand man tested positive")
Over the past few days, COVID-19 cases have been on the rise across the country. Concerns have increased after two new variants were detected, according to data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (Insacog).
With Covid-19 cases seeing a sudden rise in several parts of India, some states have already started prepping for the availability of beds, oxygen, medicines and vaccines to combat any further rise in number of cases.
The variants, NB.1.8.1 and LF.7, were found in India recently. One case of NB.1.8.1 was reported in Tamil Nadu in April, while four cases of LF.7 were detected in May.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified both LF.7 and NB.1.8 subvariants as Variants Under Monitoring (VUMs), not as Variants of Concern (VOCs) or Variants of Interest (VOIs). However, these variants are reportedly behind the surge in Covid-19 cases in China and other parts of Asia.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra has reported 43 fresh Covid cases on Sunday (May 25), taking the total number of active cases in the state to 209. Mumbai continues to see the increase, with 242 cases reported so far in May, including 35 on Sunday alone.
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Maharashtra also reported its fourth death due to COVID-19 , with a 21-year-old boy suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis.
On Sunday (May 26), Jharkhand registered the state’s first COVID-19 case of the current wave as a person who had recently returned from Mumbai tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said. The infected person is being treated at a private hospital.
Hospitals in Delhi, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh have been put on high alert. Delhi, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have all reported fresh cases this month. In fact, the national capital has reported coronavirus cases (23) for the first time in three years, PTI reported.
