India's Covid-19 Surge: Active Infections Cross 4,000, Five Deaths Reported In 24 Hours

News18

2 days ago

Last Updated:
Kerala and Maharashtra have emerged as the worst-hit states, while Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru are also witnessing rising trends in daily caseloads
India reported a fresh spike in Covid-19 infections on Tuesday, with active cases rising to 4,026 and five deaths recorded in the past 24 hours, according to health ministry data released on June 3.
Gujarat recorded the highest single-day spike with 59 new coronavirus infections, taking the state's total to 397. Kerala and Maharashtra have emerged as the worst-hit states, while Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru are also witnessing rising trends in daily caseloads.
The total number of people who have recovered from coronavirus stands at 2,700, whereas fatalities are at 37 so far. Among the deceased were the elderly, including an 80-year-old male from Kerala with severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease, and a 73-year-old woman with diabetes and hypertension in Maharashtra.
Health officials suggest that the resurgence may be linked to new Omicron sub-variants and waning public vigilance. Though hospital admissions remain minimal, authorities are ramping up genome sequencing and have urged citizens to resume basic precautions.
Dr Rajiv Behl, Director General of ICMR, while asking people to not panic, said: 'We are closely tracking developments. At this stage, there is no reason for concern, but monitoring and caution are essential."
Union Minister of State for Health and AYUSH, Prataprao Jadhav, also reassured that the Centre is 'fully prepared" to respond to any Covid-related emergencies. He said that health infrastructure built during previous waves, such as oxygen generation plants and ICU beds, has been reviewed and reinforced as part of contingency planning.
The latest spike in Coronavirus cases can be traced back to mid-May when early reports from Kerala and Maharashtra indicated a localised rise in influenza-like illness and mild respiratory symptoms. Genome sequencing confirmed a few cases of new Omicron subvariant JN.1.
On May 22, Kerala health officials confirmed a small cluster of Covid-19 cases in Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts. Maharashtra reported a similar trend, particularly in Mumbai and Thane. Three days later, nationwide active cases crossed 1,000. States begin to issue advisories on masking in crowded places.
On May 28, five cases of the JN.1 variant were confirmed in Thane, Maharashtra. Similarly, Delhi and Karnataka reported a slight uptick in new daily infections. On June 1, active cases nationwide rose above 3,200, with the health ministry issuing a national alert, recommending caution during public gatherings and travel.
Speaking to News18, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), reassured the public that there is 'absolutely no need to panic now".
'COVID or SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus, is another respiratory virus, like the many others that are circulating amongst us human beings in the world today. It has been around for five years now. It's, of course, constantly mutating and changing, like other viruses," she said.
When asked whether there's a possibility of another 'Delta-like' wave making a return, she said the public needs to understand 'very clearly" that 'we will not see the repeat of 2020 or 2021. At that time, human beings had never seen this virus before".
First Published:
June 03, 2025, 14:30 IST