Current Covid-19 situation in India remains under control, sources say

In light of the spike in Covid-19 cases in Singapore and Hong Kong, a review meeting of experts from different departments was conducted, which concluded that the current Covid-19 situation remains under control, ministry sources privy to the developments told Fortune India on Monday.

“As of May 19, the number of active Covid-19 cases in India stands at 257, a very low figure considering the country’s large population. Almost all of these cases are mild, with no hospitalisation required,” said the sources, who did not want to be named.

The meeting—which consisted of experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Emergency Medical Relief (EMR) division, Disaster Management Cell, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and Central Government hospitals—was convened under the chairpersonship of the Director General of Health Services (DGHS).

Health authorities in the densely populated regions of Hong Kong and Singapore have publicly stated that Covid-19 cases are “spiking”, indicating that the virus has resurfaced, and a new wave is pervading through Asia.

Local media from Hong Kong reported Albert Au, head of the Communicable Disease Branch of Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection, saying that the activity of the virus is “quite high” currently, adding that the percentage of respiratory samples that have tested positive for Covid-19 in the city recently has reached its highest levels in a year.

Singapore’s health ministry has also released its first update on the number of infections in nearly a year earlier this month. According to the ministry, the increase in Covid-19 cases could be because of declining immunity of the population; there currently is no indication that the current variants are more transmissible or cause more cases than the previous variants.

The sources also concurred that the preliminary information that is available suggests that the cases are mostly mild, not associated with unusual severity or mortality. Hospitals have also been directed to proactively monitor influenza-like cases and severe acute respiratory infection cases.

These developments also come at a time when the King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, located in Parel in Mumbai, has reported the death of two patients who were admitted to the hospital. However, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a statement that said comorbidities caused the deaths.

“The hospital authorities have clarified that the deaths of the woman and the 14-year-old occurred owing to serious diseases such as nephrotic syndrome with hypocalcemic seizures and cancer,” reads the statement from the health department of the BMC, as quoted by news agency PTI.

The civic body further added that Covid-19 is considered to be endemic, and an ongoing health problem, with “very few cases of the infection have been found and that too sporadically.”