257 active Covid cases, but situation under control: Govt

In the light of the rise in Covid cases in Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand, there is a concern about the spread of infections in India, which currently has 257 active Covid cases.

However, senior government officials said the current Covid-19 situation in India was under control. The Union Health Ministry is monitoring the situation closely, and ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to safeguard public health, the official added.

Most of the cases found in the surge were spreading due to the Omicron variant JN.1 and its related descendants.

On Monday, a review meeting of experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Emergency Medical Relief (EMR) division, Disaster Management Cell, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Central Government hospitals was convened under the chairpersonship of Director General of Health Services (DGHS).

“As of May 19, the number of active Covid-19 cases in India stands at 257, a very low figure considering the country’s large population. Almost all of these cases are mild, with no hospitalisation required. A robust system for surveillance of respiratory viral illnesses, including Covid-19, also exists in the country through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and ICMR,” an official said.

In the past week, Kerala reported 69 new cases, Maharashtra logged 44 and Tamil Nadu added 34 cases.