Amid the resurgence of Covid-19 infections across the Asian countries, India has reported one case of the newly emerging NB.1.8.1 variant and four instances of the LF.7 variant. While NB.1.8.1 was identified in Tamil Nadu in April, four cases of LF.7 were detected in Gujarat in May, according to INSACOG data.
As of May 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified LF.7 and NB.1.8 subvariants as “variants under monitoring” and not “variants of concern” or “variants of interest”.
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The WHO’s first risk assessment says that NB.1.8.1 is not a big threat to global public health. Still, changes in its spike protein—specifically A435S, V445H, and T478I—might make it spread more easily and evade the immune system better than earlier variants.
The two Omicron subvariants are contributing to an increase in infections in Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and other Southeast Asian countries.
In India, the most common variant remains JN.1, comprising 53 per cent of samples tested, followed by BA.2 (26 per cent) and other Omicron sublineages (20 per cent).
India on Monday (May 26, 2025) reported a total of 1,009 active COVID-19 cases in the country. The number stood at 257 on May 19 with Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra reporting a spike in cases.
