India, July 14 -- Covid-19 is back in news in India after eight cases and two related deaths - a 60-year-old man and a 46-year-old man - were reported in Andhra Pradesh. The surveillance has been strengthened and hospitals have set up isolation wards, while neighbouring state Odisha has also stepped up Covid monitoring in districts bordering Andhra Pradesh. The news may be whispering panic back into our minds, doctors say sporadic infections years after the pandemic first hit the world, are expected.

According to doctors, SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate globally and has transitioned into an endemic pattern, much like influenza and other respiratory viruses. Periodic increases in cases are driven by viral evolution, population immunity,...