India Confirms COVID-19 Variants NB.1.8.1, LF.7 Have Been Detected, JN.1, Most Common – Should You Be Worried?

India has detected new COVID-19 variants, including NB.1.8.1 and LF.7, amid rising cases in South Asia, with JN.1 being the most prevalent. INSACOG reported one NB.1.8.1 case in Tamil Nadu and four LF.7 cases in Gujarat.

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Amid rising cases of COVID-19 in South Asia, variant NB.1.8.1 and four instances of the LF.7 type have been detected in India, with the most common variant being JN.1, according to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).
Sharing the date, INSACOG said that one case of NB.1.8.1 was identified in April in Tamil Nadu and four cases of LF.7 were detected in Gujarat in May. On the other hand, JN.1 comprises 53 per cent of samples tested, followed by BA.2 (26 per cent) and other Omicron sublineages (20 per cent).

So, should you be worried?

New COVID-19 variants: High transmissibility, but low risk?

The JN.1 strain is a close relative of BA.2.86 (informally referred to as ‘Pirola’), a lineage of the Omicron variant, according to Yale Medicine. As of May 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies LF.7 and NB.1.8 subvariants as Variants Under Monitoring, not as Variants of Concern or Variants of Interest. But these are the variants that are reportedly driving the rise in COVID cases in China and parts of Asia.
Though WHO’s preliminary risk assessment classifies NB.1.8.1 as posing a low public health risk globally, its spike protein mutations such as A435S, V445H, and T478I suggest increased transmissibility and immune evasion compared to other variants.

COVID-19 in India: Where do we stand?

As of May 19, the country had 257 active COVID cases, with most infections being detected in Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu.
A review meeting of experts from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Emergency Medical Relief (EMR) division, Disaster Management Cell, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Central government hospitals was also convened under the chairpersonship of Director General of Health Services (DGHS) on Monday, May 19. The meeting concluded that the current COVID-19 situation in India remains under control.
Experts believe COVID-19 is a cyclical disease, which means that cases will rise every few months, and the intervals can range from six to nine months. Due to widespread immunity because of prior vaccination and immunity from surviving past infections, COVID-19 may not be as deadly as it was before.
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