NEW DELHI: Despite increased testing, the Covid positivity rate in India remains low. On Tuesday, the health ministry said 175 new cases of the infection were confirmed from 2 lakh tests conducted in past 24 hours. The positivity rate — percentage of positive cases among those tested — turned out to be 0. 008%. The active case load stands at 2,570.
“Currently, Covid cases are low.
We are seeing viral infections mostly,” said Rommel Tickkoo, director (internal medicine) at Max Super Speciality hospital, Saket. It is estimated that Covid cases may increase slightly over the next few weeks but the infection is unlikely to cause severe symptoms due to hybrid immunity present on account of widespread vaccination an d natural infection.
Omicron and its sub-lineages continue to be the dominant variant in the country, says the latest bulletin issued by Insacog, a consortium of 54 laboratories to monitor the genomic variations in the SARS-CoV-2.
“XBB is the most prevalent sub-lineage (63. 2%) circulating all over India. BA. 2. 75 and BA. 2. 10 were also circulating to a lesser extent. Especially, in northeast India, BA. 2. 75 is the prevalent sub lineage,” the Insacog said on December 12. “However, any increase in disease severity or hospitalisation has not been observed over this period. ”
BF. 7, a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant which has been held responsible for a spike in Covid cases in China and several other countries recently, hasn’t been reported in large numbers in the genome sequencing conducted so far, sources said.
Last week, principal secretary to the PM, PK Mishra, met top officials and experts to review measures taken by ministries to ramp up defences against a fresh surge of Covid infections. Mishra, sources said, also sought an update on the evolving glob al scenario of the pandemic with spikes in Covid cases observed in some countries.