The next 40 days are going to be crucial as India may see a surge in COVID-19 cases in January, official sources said on Wednesday citing the pattern of previous outbreaks.

"Previously, it has been noticed that a new wave of COVID-19 hits India around 30-35 days after it hits East Asia.... This has been a trend," an official said.

The Health Ministry sources, however, said the severity of the infection is less. Even if there is a wave, deaths and hospitalisation will be very low, they said.

Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in some countries, including China and South Korea, the government has sounded an alert and asked states and Union territories to prepare for any eventuality.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya have held meetings to assess the country's preparedness to deal with a fresh surge in cases.

The latest spike in cases is being driven by Omicron sub-variant BF.7.

The official sources said the transmissibility of this BF.7 subvariant is very high and an infected person can further infect 16 persons.