Covid peaks to be new normal; masks, boosters necessary: Experts

New Delhi, June 13 The recent surge in Covid-19 cases in the country is part of the new normal as the virus continues to mutate, experts said on Monday and added that use of masks and booster doses are imperative to tackle the disease.

India on Monday recorded 8,084 fresh Covid cases, the third straight day that the tally has passed the 8,000-mark, with the active caseload standing at 47,995. The country also recorded a total of 10 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the overall fatalities due to 5,24,771, as per data from the Union Health Ministry.

According to the health experts, the latest surge is driven by sub-strains of the Omicron variant, namely BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5.

Majority of cases are seen as less severe, requiring less hospitalisation, but with high transmission levels.

"Rising cases are probably due to a new subtype of Omicron variant. No need to get panicked about it as it's causing mostly upset respiratory tract infections with very rare severe disease," Dr Harshal R. Salve, Associate Professor at Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS, told .

"Such peaks will be expected in future as mutation in the virus is a continuous phenomenon," he added.

Currently, India has reported 50,000 cases in a week, the biggest since the January wave.

Maharashtra and Kerala reported the highest Covid cases, with 16,370 and 15,363 cases, respectively.

States that breached the 1,000-mark include Karnataka

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