The first case of Coronavirus variant XE in India was reported today in Mumbai, according to a press release from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. One case of the Kappa variant has also been detected. So yet, no severe symptoms have been reported in patients infected with the novel viral strains.
“The patient had a history of international travel, so we sent his sample in with 230 others for genome sequencing. 228 of the 230 tested positive for the Omicron BA2 type, one for Kapa, and one for XE “Suresh Kakani, Additional BMC Commissioner, told NDTV.
“According to World Health Organization guidelines, the BA 2 and XE are on par in terms of spreadability. There is currently nothing to be concerned about. Further it added that the new mutant could be more transmissible than any COVID-19 variant.
A 50-year-old costume designer from Mumbai was admitted in February after returning from South Africa. On March 2, she tested positive for Covid, according to the BMC.
BA’1 and BA.2 Omicron strains have been mutated to create XE, which is a “recombinant.” When a patient is infected with multiple Covid variants, recombinant mutations occur. In an article published in the British Medical Journal, UK specialists revealed that during replication, the variants mix up their genetic material and generate a new mutant.
The new mutation XE looks to be 10% more transmissible than the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron, according to the World Health Organization.
228 of the 230 Mumbai patients whose samples were sent for genome sequencing are Omicron positive, one Kappa positive, and one XE positive. Twenty-one of the 230 patients had to be admitted to the hospital, despite the fact that none of them required oxygen or intensive care. Twelve of those admitted to the hospital had not been vaccinated, while nine had received both doses
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