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India has a confirmed case of the XE variant of Covid, according to the Indian SARS-CoV2 Genomics Sequencing Consortium (INSACOG) bulletin. The location of the person infected has not been mentioned.
The Union Health Ministry is yet to confirm the same or issue a statement on the findings.
INSACOG is a network of national testing laboratories set up by the Centre. In the weekly bulletin for April 25, it said Omicron (BA2) is the dominant variant in the country.
Suspected recombinant sequences are under further analysis. BA.2.10 and BA.2.12 are BA.2 sub-lineages that have been detected, the bulletin added.
“As compared to the previous week, 12 states have shown an increase in cases, while nineteen states have shown a decline. Suspected recombinant sequences are under further analysis. BA.2.10 and BA.2.12 are BA.2 sub-lineages that have been detected and many old BA.2 sequences have been reclassified into these new sub-lineages. So far, these sub-lineages are not reported to be associated with increased severity of disease,” it said.
The INSACOG bulletin, has detailed out the distribution of the variants of concern. It said there were 4266 Alpha variants; 220 Beta; three Gamma; 43928 Delta; 5607 of B.1.617 and B.1.617.3; around 20450 AY series; 45359 Omicron: and 1 XE variant in the total 119,834 samples that it sequenced.
Covid numbers
India on Tuesday reported 2,568 fresh Covid-19 cases, a dip of over 18 per cent in the last 24 hours; while recoveries were to the tune of 2,911.
The country also recorded 20 new Covid-related fatalities, of which 15 were backlog from Kerala. Fresh deaths were reported from Punjab — three fatalities — and one each from Mizoram and Maharashtra.
According to the Union Health Ministry, daily positivity rate stood at 0.61 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate was 0.71 per cent.
Covovax availability
Meanwhile, Serum Institute of India CEO, Adar Poonawalla, said Covovax is now available in India for children.
“Covovax (@Novovax), is now available for children in India. This is the only vaccine manufactured in India that is also sold in Europe and has an efficacy of above 90 per cent,” he said in a tweet.
In April, the NTGAI or National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation had recommended Covovax for 12-17 age-group.
India begun vaccinating those in the 15–18 age groups from January 3 with Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin; while those in the 12 to 14 year-old group received Biological E’s Corbevax. No vaccine is yet being administered to those below the age of 12.
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