New Delhi, June 8: India’s active Covid-19 cases have surged past the 6,000 mark, with 378 fresh infections and six deaths reported in the last 24 hours, according to Union Health Ministry data.
Kerala remains the worst-hit state, reporting 144 new cases and three of the six fatalities, pushing its active caseload close to 2,000. Gujarat follows with 105 new infections, taking its active case count to over 820.
West Bengal recorded 71 new cases, while Delhi added 21, raising their active case counts to 693 and 686, respectively. In contrast, Karnataka saw a drop of over 75 cases, bringing its active tally down to 366. Maharashtra is nearing 600 active infections.
Of the six deaths, all patients had underlying health conditions. Kerala’s fatalities included a kidney transplant recipient, a cancer patient with kidney disease, and a 92-year-old with heart issues. Karnataka reported two deaths of men with pre-existing heart and lung diseases. Tamil Nadu recorded one Covid-related death, also tied to respiratory complications.
Experts attribute Kerala’s surge to the highly transmissible JN.1 variant and mutations like NB.1.8.1 and LF.7, which are spreading rapidly despite causing mild symptoms.
Health authorities are closely monitoring the evolving situation amid fears of localized outbreaks driven by new variants.
