COVID-19 Enters Endemic Phase: Global and Indian Health Bodies Emphasize Vigilance, Variant Monitoring, and Targeted Vaccination

June 30, 2025 – COVID-19 is now considered an endemic disease in India. Though the number of cases is fluctuating, it remains under control so far. The government and health agencies are working to control the spread of the infection through surveillance and vaccination.

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Status and trends of cases

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the number of active cases remained between 2,000 and 7,000 during June 2025. As on 29 June 2025, 2,086 active cases were reported across the country. At the state level, Kerala and Maharashtra have reported more cases and fewer deaths compared to other states, due to which special vigilance is being exercised there.

Mortality and vulnerable groups

A total of 5,33,623 deaths have been recorded in India so far (from 1 January 2025 to 30 June 2025). Although the current mortality rate is only 1.18%, most of these deaths have been seen in people with pre-existing diseases or the elderly. This shows that the protection of vulnerable groups is still the top priority.

Status of vaccination campaign

India's vaccination drive continues to be one of the largest in the world.

• More than 1.02 billion people have received at least one dose.
• More than 951 million people are fully vaccinated.
• Over 2.2 billion doses have been administered in total.

The focus is now on timely vaccination, especially for booster doses and high-risk groups.

Variant monitoring and symptoms

The JN.1 variant still dominates in India. Apart from this, new sub-variants like NB.1.8.1 and LF.7 are being monitored by Indian health agencies and genome surveillance networks.

Symptoms associated with these variants are generally mild, including:

• Low fever
• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Fatigue
• Stomach problems in some cases

Despite the low severity of symptoms, early testing and isolation is recommended.

Public health advisory

The Union Health Ministry has advised citizens to remain vigilant and has urged them to take the following precautions:

• Frequently wash hands
• Cover mouth while coughing or sneezing
• Avoid crowding when sick
• Maintain ventilation in home and workplace
• Testing for cases with severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) and flu-like symptoms (ILI) is important

Global COVID-19 scenario

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 8 June 2025, the global infection rate is low. Of the 57,139 samples tested across 77 countries, only 3.9% were found positive. However, mild increases in infections have been observed in parts of Central America, the Caribbean, tropical South America, West Africa and Southeast Asia.

Hospitalisations and deaths

• 5,610 new hospitalisations were reported from 34 countries.
• 129 ICU admissions were reported from 30 countries.
• 936 new deaths were recorded, of which 90% were in people aged over 65 years.
• Some countries in the Americas, Europe and Southeast Asia saw mortality rates increase by more than 10%.

New variants and global strategies

The new Omicron lineage, called NB.1.8.1, is spreading in Asia (especially China, Hong Kong, Singapore) and the Americas/Europe. However, it has not been shown to pose a significant risk of severe disease.WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention (ECDC) are also monitoring other variants such as LP.8.1 and XEC.In America, instead of universal vaccination, a targeted vaccination policy is now being adopted, in which the decision regarding vaccination of children is being taken jointly by doctors and parents.