As Covid infections rise in some of Asia’s regions, Indian officials reported on Monday that the situation is still ‘under control’ within the country, even with a minor increase in the cases in certain states.
Review Meeting Held by Health Experts
As per a report by news agency ANI, the surge in Covid-19 cases in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand over the past few weeks led to a review meet of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Emergency Medical Relief (EMR) wing, Disaster Management Cell, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Central government hospitals experts.
“As per the preliminary information available, the cases are mostly mild, not associated with unusual severity or mortality,” sources quoted in the report said.
India’s Covid-19 Cases Remain Low
The officials further stated that the review meeting concluded that the situation in India is still ‘under control’ and the number of cases observed until Monday was ‘very low’ given the large population of the nation.
“In light of these developments, a review meeting of experts from NCDC, EMR division, Disaster Management Cell, ICMR, and Central government hospitals was convened under the chairpersonship of Director General of Health Services (DGHS). The meeting concluded that the current Covid-19 situation in India remains under control. As of May 19, 2025, the number of active Covid-19 cases in India stands at 257, a very low figure considering the country’s large population,” the officials said.
They also indicated that nearly all cases in India are mild and no hospitalization is needed.
“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,” they said.
The Second Wave of Covid-19 in Southeast Asia
The second wave of Covid-19 arrived in Southeast Asia, from Hong Kong and Singapore to Thailand. The majority of cases detected in the surge are spreading as a result of the Omicron variant JN.1 and its descendants. There were 14,000+ cases in Singapore in early May, with the same surges in Hong Kong and Thailand.
The JN.1 variant of Covid-19 was initially discovered in August 2023, and the World Health Organisation labelled it as a ‘variant of interest’ in December 2023. It is a lineage of the Omicron BA.2.86 variant. The JN.1 variant comprises around 30 mutations as per WHO, and some of them include LF.7 and NB.1.8, most prevalent among the cases being identified over recent weeks.
