FILE-Wall painting to give message wear a mask and save lives to protect from COVID. (Express photo by Amit Mehra) Even as a total of 18 cases with XBB – a recombinant of Omicron’s BA.2.75 and BJ.1 sub -variants — have been reported in Maharashtra of which 13 are from Pune, preliminary information indicates they are of a mild nature.
“Epidemiological information of all these cases is being collected and as per the primary information, all these cases are of mild nature,” said Dr Pradeep Awate, Maharashtra surveillance officer, on Wednesday. Symptoms are similar to the previous Omicron variant, he added.
According to a new state health department report, two cases each were from Nagpur and Thane and one from Akola district.
As per INSACOG lab’s latest report, 18 cases of XBB variant have been reported in Maharashtra in the first fortnight of October month. Apart from these cases, Pune has also reported one case each of BQ.1 and BA.2.3.20. These cases were reported between September 24 and October 11.
According to Dr Awate, 15 of these 20 cases have a history of Covid vaccination while information in five cases is to be received. The BQ.1 case of Pune is of mild variety and has a reported history of travel to the USA. “Genetic mutations are part of the natural lifecycle of the virus and there is no need for panic but with various upcoming festivals, there is definitely a need to take appropriate precautions for Covid containment,” said a state health official.
Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant chief medical officer, Pune Municipal Corporation, told The Indian Express that all patients had mild symptoms and none of them was hospitalized.
According to infectious diseases expert Dr Sanjay Pujari, more data is required as these are next generation variants or sub-lineages of the Omicron family. “The virus will continue to evolve and it is unclear how severe this is presently. So, the population with co-morbid conditions needs to take their precaution or booster dose and it is important to continue to wear masks in closed settings,” Dr Pujari said.
There are 2,688 active Covid-19 cases in the state as on Wednesday of which 418 are new cases. The state tally of Covid-19 positive patients is now 81,28,676. Mumbai reported 244 new covid cases Wednesday while Pune circle (Pune city, Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune rural, Solapur and Satara) reported 105 new cases.