The new Covid subvariant, XBB, has continued to circulate in India and around 15% of samples have been sequenced in recent weeks. However, experts warned there was no reason to panic as there has been no reported build-up of infections in the country.
XBB is a mix of the BA. 2. 75 and BJ. 1 subvariants of Omicron. It was first detected in Singapore, which has led to a backlog of cases in that country. In India, the first positive pattern of the subvariant was reported last October. year. According to experts, herd immunity and vaccination in India seem to protect the population well for the time being.
Another subvariant, BQ. 1, which is a BA. 5 sublineage, blamed for the accumulation of Covid-19 cases in the United States, has been observed in 1% (six of 406) of the sequenced samples. BA. 2, however, has largely been the dominant strain in India for more than a year, according to experts at the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).
INSACOG is an organization of 54 laboratories that monitor the genomic diversifications of Covid-19.
As of Jan. 4, the most common variant in India is XBB, which accounts for 63. 2% of cases, according to INSACOG. INSACOG scientists said BA. 2. 75 and BA. 2. 10 were also circulating, albeit in smaller quantities. BA. 2. 75 is the sublineage that is prevalent in northeastern India.
According to the HT report, 11 Omicron subvariants were discovered among 124 foreign travelers who conducted Covid-19 tests among 19,000 passengers, tested between December 24 and January 3.
The 124 passengers were isolated in fitness centers located in other regions of the country and none showed serious symptoms of illness. Of the 124 samples, XBB discovered in 14 samples and BF 7. 4. 1 in one sample.
During this period, 19,227 foreign travelers were tested at airports, sea and land ports, of which 124 tested positive for Covid-19.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya advised people not to panic over Covid-19 but warned people to follow the rules issued by the government from time to time.
Yesterday, India recorded 163 new coronavirus infections, while active cases fell to 2,423. A minimum of 86 cases recorded in the number of active COVID-19 cases in the space of 24 hours.
The number of people cured of the disease soared to 4,41,46,781, while the case fatality rate recorded 1. 19 per cent.
According to the ministry’s website, 220. 13 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country as part of the national vaccination drive.
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