Health specialists on Tuesday rejected media claims of Covid-19 infections soaring in Southeast Asia as seasonal flu patterns, igniting new concerns about the sickness that afflicted millions of people and the world economy.

According to media sources, hospitalizations increased by 30% and weekly Covid-19 infections in Singapore increased by 28% from 11,100 in late April to 14,200 in the first week of May.

The week ending May 3 saw 31 virus-related fatalities in Hong Kong, the most in the city’s history. The week ending May 10 saw 1,042 new illnesses in Hong Kong, up from 972 the week before.

Seasonal patterns of flu outbreaks are blamed for the increase of Covid cases in Southeast Asia. Dr. Harshal R. Salve, an additional professor at the Centre for Community Medicine at AIIMS, New Delhi, told IANS that the majority of the cases are minor and do not need hospitalization.

There has been a little increase in cases in India as well. According to a Ministry of Health assessment conducted Monday, the situation in India is now “under control,” with just 257 active cases recorded nationally as of May 19.

Since COVID-19 is a cyclical illness, new instances will appear every few months. Six to nine months may be the range of the intervals. India is seeing Covid instances, same as other Asian nations. However, they are not becoming more severe than they were in the past, nor are they overrunning hospitals. The majority of instances are really so minor that they are being treated as outpatients, according to Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, Convener of the Kerala State IMA’s Research Cell.

“Covid-19 is no longer the devastating force it once was because of broad immunity developed on by earlier vaccinations and by surviving previous illnesses. He said, “There is no evidence that the virus has undergone any significant genetic changes that may change the kind of the illness it produces.

There has also been a noticeable rise in new cases reported from China and Thailand. The proliferation of novel Omicron subvariants, such as JN.1 and its associated successors, LF.7 and NB.1.8, which account for more than two-thirds of sequenced instances, is primarily responsible for the spike.

Waning immunity might possibly be the cause of the rise in instances; repeated waves are predicted.

Even if the majority of the instances that have been recorded so far are not very serious, “the outcome also depends on the host.” For example, an infection in a weak old person may have more serious consequences, Jayadevan said.

To combat the illness, the specialists advised cough cleaning and hygiene.

“It’s crucial to take extra measures when instances increase. It will be beneficial to use masks in congested enclosed areas. Jayadevan advised those with fevers to remain at home and refrain from socializing.

The nation has a strong system for monitoring respiratory viral diseases, including COVID, according to the health ministry, which further confirmed this via the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and ICMR.