New Delhi: India’s active COVID-19 caseload has surged past the 3,000 mark, with Kerala recording the highest number at 1,336, followed by Maharashtra and Delhi, according to Union Health Ministry data released on Saturday.

The data shows that four COVID-related deaths occurred in the past 24 hours—one each in Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

Rise in active cases since May 22

The number of active cases in the country was just 257 on May 22. By May 26, this had increased to 1,010, and it stood at 3,395 on Saturday. In the last 24 hours alone, 685 new cases were reported along with four deaths.

The distribution of active cases across major states is as follows: Kerala (1,336), Maharashtra (467), Delhi (375), Gujarat (265), Karnataka (234), West Bengal (205), Tamil Nadu (185), and Uttar Pradesh (117).

No cause for alarm, say officials

Despite the rising numbers, official sources said the situation is under close observation and most patients are under home care. "There is no reason to worry," the sources stated, adding that the severity of infections remains low.

ICMR confirms Omicron subvariants as cause

Dr Rajiv Behl, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said on Monday that genome sequencing of samples from western and southern regions of the country confirmed the current surge is driven by subvariants of Omicron.

"Four subvariants of Omicron—LF.7, XFG, JN.1 and NB.1.8.1—have been found. The first three have been found in more number of cases," Dr Behl said.

He added, “We have been closely monitoring the situation. At this moment, overall, we should monitor, be vigilant but there is no cause to worry.