Scientists believe that a new descendant of the XBB variant of Covid-19, XBB1. 16, may be behind the recent surge in coronavirus cases in India in recent days. The rapidly spreading variant has been detected in several countries, including China. , Singapore, the United States and others.
According to covSPECTRUM, the XBB 1. 16 variant descends from XBB 1. 15. Both XBB 1. 16 and XBB 1. 15 descend from the ancestral recombinant variant XBB.
A foreign Covid variant tracking platform said India has reported the number of cases of the XBB 1. 16 variant; lately the number has risen to 48. Singapore and the United States have detected 14 and 15 cases respectively, according to a report by the Times of India.
“Three states in India (Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra) have a high prevalence of the XBB 1. 16 Covid variant,” said a very sensible genome expert.
Speaking to TOI, Dr Vipin M Vashishtha, a member of the WHO Vaccine Safety Network who has been tracking new Covid variants, said that XBB. 1’s previous descendant, XBB. 1. 5, was dominant in the world. , but not in India.
“XBB. 1. 16 is causing some fear globally because it has safe mutations in the non-peak region of the virus: two ORF9b mutations. ORF9b concerned about effective immune evasion,” Vashishtha quoted through TOI.
The Union Health Ministry reported on Thursday that India had recorded 734 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, after a period of more than four months, bringing the number of active cases to 4,623. The total number of Covid cases reported so has reached 4. 46 crore rupees (4,46,92,710).
Earlier Saturday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote a letter to the states and territories of the union. Bhushan stressed that the slow increase in Covid-19 test positivity rates in some states is a worrying factor that needs to be addressed temporarily.
“Despite the low number of new cases, the equally low number of hospitalizations, and the significant progress made in terms of Covid-19 vaccination coverage, we still need to remain vigilant and in the five-fold strategy of testing, treatment, vaccination, and adherence to appropriate Covid behavior,” Bhushan said in his letter.
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