States like Kerala, Maharashtra & Delhi revealed a surge in new COVID-19 casesThe new variants, NB.1.8.1 and LF.7, are designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “Variants under Monitoring”. They are detected in one and four cases, respectively.The most common variant remains JN.1, with 53 per cent of the cases State governments in affected states have issued high alerts, and asked hospitals to prepare beds, testing kits, vaccines and oxygen cylindersThe governments have also issued advisories, cautioning citizens to take precautions such as wearing masks and practising social distancing