Mask up if you have a heart condition: IMA expert, as Andhra Pradesh COVID-19 cases reach 32

As the coronavirus caseload in Andhra Pradesh reached 32 on Wednesday (July 22, 2026), questions and concerns about the severity of the infection have grown, even as people wonder if it is time to start wearing a mask.

Addressing these concerns, Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman of the National Indian Medical Association (IMA) COVID Task Force, said the rise was not another wave of the kind that fills hospitals and strains the health system.

“The coronavirus has a tendency to come in cyclical patterns, so it is common to see a periodic rise in cases. Since 2022, when the last wave caused by Omicron was reported, we have not witnessed an incident where the healthcare system was overwhelmed,” said Mr. Jayadevan, who is also convener of the research cell of the IMA, Kerala.

Since 2022, Mr. Jayadevan said, a cyclical rise in cases had been seen every year, and, like other periodic viral circulations, the present one too may die down in a couple of months.

Explaining the variant history, Dr. Jayadevan said the Delta variant dominated in 2021 and Omicron in 2022. Every sub-variant since has descended from Omicron, he said, including the RF.5 sub-lineage that genome sequencing at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, identified in five samples from YSR Kadapa district.

“Whatever sub-variants have come up since then, including the RF.5 sub-lineage identified in Andhra Pradesh, are all offsprings of Omicron. These may have different names, but they have similar chemical manifestations, and none of them cause more severe disease than the other,” he said.

Some of the sub-variants of Omicron are XBB, which was prevalent in 2022; then came BA.2.86, which dominated in 2023, and which acquired further mutations to become JN.1. The derivatives of JN.1 were prevalent in 2024, and NB.1.8.1 in 2025. At present, XFG, BA.3.2 and RF.5 are circulating around the world. RF.5 is itself a modified form of JN.1, the expert said.

He said the sub-lineage may not cause life-threatening illness in healthy people, but it can trouble the vulnerable. “Even a fever puts a strain on the heart, and this slight imbalance can create problems for those with underlying heart diseases,” he said, advising people with co-morbidities to wear masks in crowded places.

Director of Medical Education A. Vishnu Vardhan had earlier told The Hindu that a higher number of RF.5 cases had been reported in Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries, but that, on the evidence so far, the sub-lineage did not appear more dangerous than other Omicron sub-lineages. Its symptoms, he had said, were much like those of other Omicron sub-variants: sore throat, cough, fever, headache, a runny or blocked nose, fatigue and body aches.

State reviews preparedness

Health Secretary G. Veerapandian held a virtual meeting on Monday (July 21, 2026) with other health officials to review the State’s COVID preparedness, and directed them to ensure the availability of testing kits, medicines, dedicated COVID beds, personal protective equipment (PPE) and emergency medical supplies.

While there is no need for panic, people with even mild COVID-like symptoms have been advised to visit their nearest government hospital promptly.