Dr. Naveen Kumar, Director of ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), announced on Wednesday that recent Covid-19 infections caused by the JN.1.16 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant and the XFG (LF.7 and LP.81.2) recombinant variant have not led to severe disease. This statement comes as India observes a decline in active Covid cases after a month-long increase.
According to the latest update from the Union Health Ministry, India currently has 6,483 active Covid-19 cases and 113 reported deaths. This follows a surge in cases that began in the second week of April, pushing active cases above 7,000 nationwide.
Dr. Kumar explained that genomic analysis revealed the initial surge was due to the JN.1.16 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant. However, since May 2025, this has been largely replaced by the XFG (LF.7 and LP.81.2) recombinant variant. “The observations made as of now suggest that the disease associated with these strains is not very much severe,” he stated.
The NIV, from its network of 73 Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) across the country, has been continuously tracking the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 since the beginning of the pandemic in 2019. “ICMR-NIV in Pune is continuously monitoring the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 by the whole genome sequencing of RT PCR positive samples referred from 73 VRDLs across the country,” Dr. Kumar affirmed.
India has diligently submitted whole genome sequences to both the Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC) and GISAID, a global open-access database. The NIV is also actively working on isolating newer variants to further understand their characteristics. This ongoing effort, according to Dr. Kumar, will be crucial for assessing vaccine effectiveness and supporting India’s indigenous vaccine development initiatives.
Currently, India has two monovalent Omicron-based vaccines available: Biological E Limited’s Corbivax and Serum Institute of India’s COVOVAX. Regarding the need for new vaccines to combat emerging variants, Dr. Kumar clarified that such decisions are policy matters for the government. He reiterated that NIV’s role is to monitor the circulating virus strains, and the overall situation is under continuous review by the Health Ministry.