Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday said that there is no confirmed information about XE variant in Mumbai.
Tope tweeted his statement to media saying, “There is no confirmed information about XE variant. There is no intensity (of the virus) and the infection (rate) is not more than 10 to 15 per cent. So there is no need to worry”.
On Wednesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) claimed that it has reported its first case in Mumbai while the State Health Department told on Wednesday that there was “probable” case of XE variant. The Union Health Ministry had denied any case of XE variant.
“ As per information, XE variant is only 10 per cent more infectious than the Omicron variant. We will talk more about it in detail after getting a report. Since we have not received a confirmatory report from the Centre or NIB, Maharashtra health department does not confirm it,” Tope said.
The Union Health Ministry had yesterday said that the present evidence does not suggest the presence of XE variant of Covid-19 denying media reports that claimed that a case of the new mutant was reported in Mumbai.
Speaking to the reporters in Mumbai Tope said, “We have the experience of Omicron now which is like flu. There is no need to panic about that. We will talk about it in detail once the report comes in. No confirmed reports have come neither from the Centre nor from the National Institute of Biologicals. So the Health Department of Maharashtra does not confirm it.”
Adult population fully vaccinated in Mumbai
“ 100% of the eligible adult population in Mumbai are vaccinated with both Covid-19 doses” the BMC tweeted on Thursday.
According to officials, so far, 1,02,96,917 first doses have been administered in the 18 plus segment, achieving 111 per cent vaccination of this age group.
So far, 94,92,511 people have been given the second dose of the vaccine.
Mumbai crossed 50 per cent vaccination coverage last October. The city has so far administered 2.05 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses since the start of the mass immunisation programme in January 2021. Of which, 4.15 lakh are third doses (precautionary doses).
( With inputs from ANI)