Madhya Pradesh reported its second COVID-linked death after a 45-year-old pregnant woman from Khargone died during a caesarean section in Indore. The woman developed breathing issues and seizures during surgery on Thursday. Despite being placed on a ventilator, she died soon after. Her COVID-19 test later returned positive. Indore health officials said delivery complications—not COVID—caused her death. She had no known comorbidities or prior respiratory issues, they confirmed. Three new cases took Madhya Pradeshs total to 53, with 32 active. District authorities said all 11 tests done Saturday showed no fresh active changes. The first COVID death in the state was reported on 21 April—an elderly woman in Indore with serious pre-existing conditions. She died soon after hospitalisation. Bhopal CMHO Dr Prabhakar Tiwari said the city has seen nine total cases: one in April, three in May, five in June. Four are active, one hospitalised with other ailments. Indore leads with 38 cases this year. Eight were from outside the city, mostly with travel history linked to the UK, Singapore, Goa, and Delhi, officials said. Nationally, four new variants—LF.7, XFG, JN.1, and NB.1.8.1—have been detected. ICMR Director Dr Rajeev Bahl said sequencing in south and west India confirmed their presence. NB.1.8.1 carries mutations that make it more transmissible and resistant to past immunity. Experts are monitoring its spread amid rising cases in some states. JN.1 is now Indias dominant strain, found in over half of tested samples, followed by BA.2 (26%) and Omicron sub-lineages (20%).

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