Poonam Nath

Asia grips Fresh Covid-19; India on alert with 257 active cases, with controlled situation, informed officials

Digital Desk: India's health officials have brushed off concerns over a significant Covid-19 resurgence, even though a new wave is sweeping Asia, especially Singapore and Hong Kong.

With only 257 active cases registered nationwide as of May 19, 2025, the Ministry of Health's study on Monday concluded that the situation in India is currently "under control."

Officials from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Disaster Management Cell, Emergency Medical Relief (EMR) division, National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), and central government hospitals attended the expert conference, which was chaired by the Director General of Health Services.

PTI cites sources that state that "nearly all of these cases are mild, with no hospitalization required."

The meeting came after reports of an alarming Covid-19 outbreak in Singapore and Hong Kong, where infections and hospitalizations have skyrocketed as a result of new Omicron subvariants such as JN.1 and its offspring.

Since May 12, Kerala has recorded the most new cases (69), followed by Maharashtra (44), and Tamil Nadu (34). Other states, including Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Sikkim, have recorded low single-digit case numbers.

Hospitals throughout the country have been instructed to increase monitoring of influenza-like diseases and severe acute respiratory infections.

The Union Health Ministry has stated that it will be "vigilant and proactive," with surveillance ongoing under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and ICMR frameworks.

While India's numbers remain modest, other regions are seeing a significant increase. In Singapore, weekly Covid-19 infections increased by 28%, from 11,100 in late April to 14,200 in the first week of May, while hospitalizations increased by 30%.

Hong Kong suffered 31 virus-related deaths in the week ending May 3, the highest weekly total in a year. New infections in Hong Kong increased to 1,042 in the week ending May 10, up from 972 the week before.