Active COVID-19 Cases Reach 1009, Check State-Wise List

According to data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), NB.1.8.1 was identified in Tamil Nadu in April, while four cases of LF.7 were confirmed in Gujarat in May.

Medics prepare a ward for COVID-19 patients at Gandhi Hospital in the wake of several states reporting Covid cases in Hyderabad on May 24.

Source : PTI

India has reported a total of 1,009 COVID-19 cases as of May 26. The surge comes as several states across the country continue to detect active cases of the newly emerging COVID-19 variants — NB.1.8.1 and LF.7.

As of May 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified LF.7 and NB.1.8 subvariants as "Variants Under Monitoring," not as "Variants of Concern" or "Variants of Interest". However, these COVID-19 variants are reportedly driving the rise in cases in China as well as other parts of Asia.

According to data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), NB.1.8.1 was identified in Tamil Nadu in April, while four cases of LF.7 were confirmed in Gujarat in May.

The most common variant in India, however, remains JN.1, which comprises 53 per cent of samples tested, followed by BA.2 (26 per cent) and other Omicron sublineages (20 per cent).

The highest number of cases have been reported in Kerala (430), followed by Maharashtra (209), and Delhi (104). Other states where COVID-19 cases have been reported are Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan, among others.

Here's a look at the state-wise active case tally:

State/ UT	Total Cases
Andhra Pradesh	4
Chhattisgarh	1
Delhi	104
Goa	1
Gujarat	83
Haryana	9
Karnataka	47
Kerala	430
Madhya Pradesh	2
Maharashtra	209
Puducherry	9
Rajasthan	13
Tamil Nadu	69
Telangana	1
Uttar Pradesh	15
West Bengal	12
Total	1009

According to the data by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Maharashtra has reported four deaths so far due to COVID-19. Kerala has reported two, while one person died in Karnataka after testing positive.

While the World Health Organization's initial assessment deems NB.1.8.1 to carry a low global public health risk, specific spike protein mutations—namely A435S, V445H, and T478I—indicate it may have higher transmissibility and a greater ability to evade immune responses than other known variants.

A meeting chaired by the Director General of Health Services and attended by experts from the National Centre for Disease Control, ICMR, and other key health institutions recently reviewed the situation.

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has issued guidelines for international arrivals, stressing that all travellers should preferably be fully vaccinated. 

(With inputs from news agency PTI.)