INSACOG warns of rise in COVID XBB.1.5 cases in India: All you need to know
1 min read . Updated: 16 Jan 2023, 06:44 PM IST
PremiumCOVID XBB.1.5 has been in 11 states and Union territories till now, including Delhi, Maharashtra and West Bengal
A total of 26 cases of COVID's XBB.1.5 has been found in India so far INSACOG data showed on Monday. The variant has been in 11 states and Union territories till now, including Delhi, Maharashtra and West Bengal. The XBB.1.5 is behind the massive surge in COVID cases in the United States.
The XBB.1.5 strain is a relative of the Omicron XBB variant, which is a recombinant of the Omicron BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants. Combined, XBB and XBB.1.5 make up 44 per cent of cases in the US.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said 38 countries have reported XBB.1.5 cases, of which 82% have been reported in the US, 8% in Britain and 2% in Denmark.
A study published in the journal Cell last month found that XBB.1 is 63 times less likely to be neutralised by existing antibodies than the BA.2 subvariant. It is also 49 times more resistant than the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, which are currently dominant in Britain and several other countries.
14 cases of BF.7 in India
The INSACOG data also showed that 14 cases of BF.7 strain have been found in India. There are four cases of Omicron sub-variant BF.7 reported in West Bengal, three in Maharashtra, two each in Haryana and Gujarat and one each in Odisha, Delhi and Karnataka. The BF.7 variant is apparently driving China’s COVID-19 wave.
There are four cases of Omicron sub-variant BF.7 reported in West Bengal, three in Maharashtra, two each in Haryana and Gujarat and one each in Odisha, Delhi and Karnataka.
INSACOG reports genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 across the country through sequencing of samples from sentinel sites and international passengers arriving in India.
(With inputs from agencies)
Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less