New COVID mutant 'XE': How worried should we be?

A new strain of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, first detected in the UK, appears to be more transmissible than previous strains of the coronavirus, the WHO has said, asserting that COVID-19 remains a public health emergency of international concern and warning that it is “too early” to reduce the quality of surveillance.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest update that the XE recombinant (BA.1-BA.2) was first detected in the UK on January 19 and more than 600 sequences have been reported and confirmed since then.

Meanwhile, the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society has urged citizens of the country not to panic and closely monitor the development of the variant.

In an interview given to ANI, Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS) Director Rakesh Mishra said, "The new mutant XE emerged for the first time in mid-January, but I believe that there is no need to push a 'panic button'. So far, only 600 cases have been reported across the world. But we need to keep a close watch on it."

He further said that there is no indication that it can cause a wave of COVID-19. "No indication is present at the moment highlighting that this new variant is so strong that it can cause a wave. We need to wait for some more time to make comments on how transmissible it can be," he said.

Dr Mishra also stressed that it is important to take all safety measures to curb the spread of the virus.

"It is unfortunate that a certain section of the society seems to be eager to declare that the pandemic is over. People should take care by using masks, administering vaccines as per rules and boosters wherever allowed and avoiding unnecessary clustering in crowded spaces, especially in close spaces. Act civil by wearing masks."

“Mask mandate should remain,” Dr Arun Gupta, president of the Delhi Medical Council, told TOI. “The pandemic is still on. Many countries, for example the US, UK, China and Hong Kong, are reporting significant surge in cases. There is no guarantee that India will not face the same again. That’s why I think the Covid protocols should continue until we have a sustained drop in new cases for at least a year,” he added.

Dr Gupta also stressed on the need to give booster doses to all adults who have completed their primary vaccination against Covid-19 six months ago or before. “Already, few people wear a mask. The government’s decision to remove a fine for not wearing mask may encourage more people to give up the Covid protocols and, thus, create a situation conducive for the spread of infection should there be a new variant of concern,” Dr Rommel Tickoo, director of internal medicine at Max Saket, said.

Delhi and Maharashtra have removed the mask mandate though both governments say wearing them is advisable.

Dr Devi Shetty, chairman of Narayana Health, was, however, more positive. “I don’t think there is a likelihood of another massive wave of serious illness due to Covid-19 as witnessed during the second wave. Small spikes in mild infections due to the disease may still happen, but that shouldn’t be a cause of any serious concern,” he said.

With 1,096 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,30,28,131, while the active cases dipped to 13,013, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

The death toll climbed to 5,21,345 with 81 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases comprise 0.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate remained at 98.76 per cent, the ministry said.

A reduction of 432 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

India's COVID-19 tally had surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19, 2020. The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year.