The variant which is a mutant hybrid of two versions of Omicron – BA.1 and BA.2 believed to be more transmissible than Omicron
India on Wednesday reported its very first case of the new XE variant of coronavirus from Mumbai. The variant which is a mutant hybrid of two versions of Omicron – BA.1 and BA.2 believed to be more transmissible than Omicron, was first detected in the United Kingdom.
The patient, a 50-year-old woman, is fully vaccinated against the virus and has shown no symptoms so far, Mumbai’s civic body BMC said. She also suffers from no comorbidities.
In its latest sero survey report, BMC said that of the 230 samples sent for sero survey from patients from Mumbai, 21 were subsequently hospitalised. 228 samples were found infected with the Omicron variant. One tested positive for the XE variant while the other for the Kappa variant.
As per the World Health Organisation, the new mutation appeared to be around 10 per cent more transmissible than the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron,