The first case of the highly transmissible Covid-19 variant XE was detected in a 50-year-old woman who had arrived in Mumbai from South Africa on February 10. The patient is fully vaccinated, asymptomatic, and has no comorbidities.
As per the details received, the patient is a costume designer by profession and was a part of a shooting crew. The patient has no travel history prior to this.
As per the government guidelines, upon her arrival to India, a Covid-19 test was done in which she tested negative. However, a routine test was done on March 2 in which she was found positive for the infection and was quarantined in a hotel room in Mumbai. She texted Covid negative the next day.
According to official sources, INSACOG is conducting a genomic analysis of the case.
A case of the Kappa variant was also detected, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said, adding the results came in genome sequencing of 376 samples, the 11th batch of testing in the genome sequencing lab. The condition of the patients found infected with the new strains of the coronavirus was not serious, it said.
What is XE Variant of Covid-19?
The XE variant is a mutation of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron strains, referred to as a “recombinant. As per the initial studies, the XE variant has a growth rate of 9.8 per cent over that of BA.2, also known as the stealth variant because of its ability to evade detection.
In its latest update, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said XE belongs to the Omicron variant until significant differences in transmission and disease characteristics, including severity, may be reported. A recombinant strain means that it is a mutant hybrid of the two previous versions of the Omicron variant, BA.1 and BA.2. The new strain of the Omicron variant appears to be more transmissible than any previous strains.
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