Maharashtra unable to validate XE variant COVID version
XE variant: Amid growing concern about the new “XE” variant of COVID and just one day after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation reported the first case in Mumbai, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday that the state health department has not received any confirmation about the variant and thus cannot confirm it.
According to information, the XE variation is just 10% more infectious than the Omicron type. We’ll discuss it more when we get the report. “Tope said to ANI. The Maharashtra health department does not corroborate it since we have not got a confirmed report from the Centre or NIB.”
The Union Health Ministry said Wednesday that the current evidence does not point to the occurrence of the XE form of COVID, refuting media allegations that a case of the new mutant had been detected in Mumbai.
Tope told reporters in this city, “We are currently experiencing Omicron, which is similar to the flu. There is no reason to be concerned about this. We’ll go into everything in depth once the report arrives. Neither the Centre nor the National Institute of Biologicals have issued any verifiable reports. As a result, the Maharashtra Health Department does not confirm it.
According to the Health Ministry, FastQ data from the sample were thoroughly examined by INSACOG genomic specialists, who concluded that “the genomic makeup of this variation does not connect with the genomic image of the ‘XE’ variant.”
The World Health Organization has announced the discovery of a novel COVID mutant called “XE” in the United Kingdom, noting that it may be more transmissible than the BA.2 sublineage of COVID-19. However, virologists in India have stated that it is unclear if the variety is potent enough to produce another COVID wave in the nation, while also advising care and COVID-appropriate behaviour.
XE is a recombinant of the COVID-19 sublineages Omicron BA.1 and BA.2.