Covid-19 cases on the rise in India; experts say no reason to worry

The number of Covid cases has increased gradually across the country with Karnataka reporting 1,372 active cases while Kerala has 6,229 active cases. Maharashtra has 3,532 active cases, Gujarat with 2,214 cases, Delhi has recorded 1,409 cases, Tamil Nadu has 993 active cases, and Himachal Pradesh has 785 cases.

 According to epidemiologists, the number of Covid cases is now doubling every 4-5 days. Scientists said that XBB.1.16 is the Covid-19 variant currently responsible. The population has a certain level of immunity and it is complicated by the fact that India is not testing every person with symptoms. While XBB.1.16 may be more infectious than other Omicron lineages, there has been no evidence of severity of disease, increased hospitalisation or increase in mortality.

Virologist Gagandeep Kang, in an interview, said the daily increase was not a cause for worry and the country is in an endemic stage for the last two years. India will see short-lived periodic surges, underscored Kang, and according to a study done her colleague at the Christian Medical College, two-thirds of people found to be infected with COVID-19 were asymptomatic. This, she considered, as evidence of the population having reached endemicity.