More than three years after a COVID outbreak in the team derailed their campaign in the last AFC Women's Asian Cup, India will make a fresh bid for a place in the continental showpiece

Nimbus Covid variant has accounted for approximately 37% of US cases within two weeks as of June 7.

With overlapping symptoms like fever, sore throat, runny nose, cough, fatigue, headaches and body ache, it can be hard to differentiate between Covid-19 and flu.

New Covid Nimbus: Designated as NB.1.8.1, the Nimbus strain is a descendant of Omicron. WHO has listed it among six variants under close observation.

According to The Lancet journal, the XFG variant survives and spreads easily as it can evade the body's natural defences easily.

As Covid-19 cases continue to rise across India, the number of active infections has now crossed 6,815 nationwide.

India's active coronavirus cases have climbed to 7,121, with Kerala fighting the latest resurgence of infections - followed by Gujarat and Delhi.

Amid an increase in Covid-19 cases, Kerala Health Minister Veena George has said that special care should be taken as the disease remains more severe among the elderly and those with other diseases.

XFG is a recombinant subvariant, which means it originated from two variants, LF.7 and LP.8.1.2, in this case.

Kerala continues to be the most affected state, followed by Gujarat, West Bengal and Delhi, according to the ministry.

A top US-based expert on China has warned of "something worse" than Covid if the United States is not careful, days after two Chinese scientists were charged with allegedly smuggling a toxic fungus into the US.

While states are on alert, officials have said that the coronavirus cases are mild in nature and there is no need to panic.

NB.1.8.1 is a descendant of the Omicron family. Like other Omicron sub-variants, NB.1.8.1 appears to be highly transmissible.

Covid is growing milder with time but an occasional surge in cases is expected because the virus that causes it is now endemic and constantly evolving, say scientists while assuring that there is no cause for concern.

Doctors and health officials in India and across the world have said that the new Covid variants are not serious threats but are spreading faster.

Gujarat recorded 64 Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 461.

Overlapping symptoms can make it hard to tell the difference between a cold and Covid-19.

In view of the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Kerala, the state health department issued guidelines to hospitals and health workers. It has also directed the government and private hospitals to conduct drills.

A team of US researchers has developed a new type of mRNA vaccine that is more scalable and adaptable to tackle continuously evolving viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and H5N1.

India's active COVID-19 cases have crossed the 4,000 mark, with Kerala remaining the most affected state followed by Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Delhi, according to the Union Health Ministry data released on Tuesday.

According to official data, 65 fresh covid cases have been reported in the past 24 hours.

Karnataka's Health and Family Welfare Department has said in an official statement that the number of active Covid-19 cases crossed the 300-mark in the state.

India's active COVID-19 cases have climbed to 3,961 as per the Health Ministry's Covid-19 dashboard. According to official data, 203 new cases were added to the active case count since Sunday.

Symptoms of NB.1.8.1 are generally mild to moderate. However, elderly and immune-compromised people remain at higher risk for severe disease.