Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa’s first confirmed COVID-19 case in the current outbreak a 75-year-old man was transferred on Wednesday, from the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) in Bambolim to the TB and Chest Disease Hospital in St Inez.
He has been admitted to the isolation ward and is among the 257 active cases reported across India.
According to Dr Anil Mehndiratta, Past President of the Goa State Indian Medical Association (IMA), the dominant variant nationwide is currently LP.8.1, which accounts for 70% of cases, followed by XFC (9%) and XEC (6%). He noted that the symptoms of this new virus are similar to influenza, including chills, cough, fatigue or weakness, fever above 100°F, headache, runny or stuffy nose, and sore throat.
Dr Mehndiratta stressed the need for increased testing to identify more cases and help prevent further spread.
He emphasised that it was important to do even more testing which would help in unearthing new cases, which are being missed and may be detrimental to the society in the long run.
Medical professionals are optimistic that a full-blown COVID-19 wave will not recur. Active cases are also being reported in States such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. Other States such as Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Sikkim have recorded low, single-digit case counts.
While the JN.1 variant does not seem to cause more severe illness than previous Omicron strains, with most infections reported as mild to moderate (sore throat, runny nose, fatigue, cough, and fever), it has a unique mutation in its spike protein. This mutation might increase its ability to spread and evade immunity from vaccines or prior infections, making its high transmissibility a cause for concern.
As of May 17, 2025, Indian government data indicates a total of 45,041,748 confirmed COVID-19 cases in India, the second highest globally after the United States, and 533,623 deaths, the third highest after the US and Brazil.