Uttarakhand reports two Covid cases, JN.1 most dominant strain in India - What we know so far 

Two fresh cases of Covid have been reported in Uttarakhand, amid a slow but noticeable increase in infections across several states in the country. According to State Health Secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar, both patients contracted the virus outside the state. “There is no need to fear,” Kumar said, adding that genome sequencing has been ordered to identify possible new variants.

With lakhs of pilgrims arriving for the ongoing Chardham Yatra, health department staff have been deployed along the route as a precaution. The infected individuals include a 57-year-old tourist from Gujarat and a woman doctor at AIIMS Rishikesh.

Nationwide, the Union Health Secretary held a review meeting on Saturday with senior officials from the Department of Health Research, ICMR, DGHS, and NCDC. Most of the cases reported so far are mild and patients are recovering under home care, official sources told news agency PTI.

The uptick comes at a time when some Asian countries, including Singapore and Hong Kong, have also reported higher case loads. However, authorities clarified that "there is no indication that the circulating variants are more transmissible or cause more severe disease compared to the previously circulating variants."

According to INSACOG data, India has detected one case of the newly emerging NB.1.8.1 variant and four of LF.7, both of which are classified by WHO as Variants Under Monitoring (VUMs). These subvariants have reportedly contributed to rising case numbers in China and parts of Asia. In India, the dominant variant remains JN.1, found in 53% of tested samples, followed by BA.2 (26%) and other Omicron offshoots (20%).

As of May 19, India reported 257 active cases. Delhi recorded 23 new cases—all with mild symptoms—while Andhra Pradesh had four, Telangana one, and Bengaluru one case involving a nine-month-old. Kerala alone reported 273 cases in May. In Maharashtra, eight new cases were reported in Thane on Saturday, where a Covid-positive patient with severe diabetes died from comorbidities. Indore also logged two new infections. In Noida, a 55-year-old woman was placed under home quarantine.

In Telangana, Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimh convened a high-level meeting to review preparedness. A Covid case was confirmed in Hyderabad earlier this week, with the patient, a pulmonologist, now fully recovered.