According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), between June and July of this year, India reported 908 new COVID-19 cases and 2 deaths. The latest update from WHO reveals that from June 24 to July 21, 85 countries tested an average of 17,358 samples for SARS-CoV-2 each week. During this period, new cases increased by 30%, while deaths increased by 26%.
Global Situation
Worldwide, more than 186,000 new cases were reported across 96 countries, and over 2,800 new deaths were reported in 35 countries. As of July 21, WHO stated that since the start of the pandemic, there have been over 775 million confirmed cases and more than 7 million deaths globally.
Highest Cases in Thailand
Thailand reported the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in the Southeast Asia region, with 6,704 new cases and 35 new deaths. India followed with 908 new cases and 2 new deaths, while Bangladesh had 372 new cases and 1 new death.
The report also mentioned that globally, the JN.1 variant is the most reported variant of interest (VOI), present in 135 countries. The variants KP.3.1.1 and LB.1, both descendants of JN.1, are also increasing in global prevalence.
Current Situation in India
According to the Central Health Ministry’s COVID dashboard, several Indian states are seeing an increase in cases. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, and West Bengal all have a positivity rate of over 5%.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have identified the highly infectious KP.1 and KP.2 strains, which evolved from the JN.1 Omicron variant, as responsible for the COVID cases in India.
However, Health Minister J.P. Nadda informed Parliament earlier this month that there has not been an increase in hospital admissions or disease severity. As of August 5, 824 cases of the COVID KP mutant strain were reported, with Maharashtra having the highest number at 417 cases, followed by West Bengal with 157 cases and Uttarakhand with 64 cases.
