NEW DELHI, June 6: India’s federal health ministry has directed state governments to ensure adequate supplies of medical oxygen, isolation beds, ventilators, and essential drugs as COVID-19 cases continue to climb, officials said on Wednesday.
Seven more COVID-related deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s 2025 death toll to 44, according to health ministry data. Maharashtra reported the highest number of fatalities, with four, while Delhi, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu each reported one death.
The ministry has also advised the public to maintain hand hygiene, practise cough etiquette, and avoid crowded areas when unwell. “Individuals with acute respiratory illness should self-monitor and seek medical care if symptoms worsen,” a senior ministry official said.
India recorded 864 new COVID-19 infections, pushing the total number of active cases in 2025 to 4,302. Officials said the surge has been largely driven by four circulating variants – LF.7, XFG, JN.1, and NB.1.8.1 – amid waning immunity from prior infections and vaccinations. However, symptoms have remained mostly mild so far.
“While there is a need to be prepared, there is no need for panic,” said Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Rajiv Bahl.
The government has initiated mock drills to assess oxygen systems and instructed surveillance testing for all Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases and 5% of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) cases. Positive SARI samples are being sent for genome sequencing through the ICMR-VRDL network.
Most fatalities were reported among individuals with pre-existing health conditions. In Maharashtra, victims included a 55-year-old male with chronic bronchitis, a 73-year-old male with Parkinson’s disease and hypertension, a 23-year-old diabetic woman, and a 27-year-old man with alcohol withdrawal seizures.
A 76-year-old male in Tamil Nadu died from acute respiratory distress and multi-organ failure, while Delhi reported the death of a 22-year-old woman with severe respiratory complications. Details of the Gujarat case are pending. The health ministry said it continues to monitor the situation closely through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
