Hyderabad: Due to a rise in Covid-19 infections and 26 deaths nationwide, city health experts urge everyone to wear masks for at least a month.
Dr. Madap Karuna, a consultant at EMRI Green Health Services, emphasizes the importance of masking. She notes many Covid cases in Telangana are unreported. Dr. Karuna advises wearing masks in crowded places, hospitals, and diagnostic centers for four weeks. “If you have symptoms like fever, cough, or cold, wear a mask to protect others,” she advises.
The Union Health Ministry's dashboard shows nearly 4,000 positive cases in the country. The positivity rate is 0.2 per 100,000 people, and the fatality rate is 0.8 per 100 cases. Kerala holds 42.3% of active cases, followed by Maharashtra with 15.6%. Delhi has 294 cases, and Gujarat has 223, together making up 19% of the total.
In South India (Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana), over 58% of cases are found. Maharashtra reports the most deaths at 7, accounting for 32% of total fatalities. Kerala follows with 5 deaths (23%), while Delhi and Karnataka report 2 deaths each, contributing 18%.
Dr. Karuna mentions that controlling the virus requires public cooperation, not just government efforts. She stresses early awareness to prevent the spread and advises against misusing antibiotics for viral infections.
Agreeing with her, Dr. Kiran Madhala from the Telangana State Indian Medical Association says precaution is key. Since May 2025, 72 Covid-19 genome sequences were recorded. The JF.7.9 variant is most common with 25 sequences (34.72%), followed by the XFG variant with 24 sequences (33.33%), and the XFJ variant with 15 sequences (20.83%). The JN.1 variant appeared in two sequences (2.78%), and the remaining six sequences (8.33%) are classified as others.
