Breaking: India reports first case of Omicron's new sub-variant XE from Mumbai

• Image Credit: Internet

• Apr 8, 2022 | Sourav Boruah

mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222"> Digital Desk: On
Wednesday, India announced the first incidence of Covid-19 variant XE in
Mumbai. Today, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that one
patient was infected with the 'XE' variety of Covid-19, while the other was
infected with the 'Kapa' variation.

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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">“The results of 11th
test under the Covid virus genetic formula determination - 228 or 99.13% (230
samples) patients detected with Omicron," the Greater Mumbai Municipal
Corporation said.

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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">The World Health
Organization identified a hybrid of two omicron strains – BA.1 and BA.2 – that
was originally discovered in the United Kingdom. and designated XE, may be the
most transmissible variety to date.

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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">It is predicted that
it spreads 10% more easily than BA.2, which was more transmissible than the
original omicron, which was noted for its ease of penetration.

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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">Novel strains from all
over the world are increasingly appearing in Asia. The initial illness caused
by the XE variety was recently reported in Thailand, while a distinct
recombinant form was discovered in two persons who came in Hong Kong from
Europe in February.

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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">The strain was not
found in the community, and the two tourists recovered completely.

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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">According to Stephen
Goldstein, a virologist at the University of Utah, the majority of the
illnesses in China and Hong Kong, where more than half of the city is thought
to have been infected since the beginning of the year, are caused by existing
varieties.

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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">So, according to him,
while the outbreaks are a concern for governments and public health experts,
they do not now pose a global health hazard.

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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">“I don’t really expect
a new variant to emerge from the omicron epidemics in Hong Kong and
China," Goldstein said. “That said, this virus has certainly surprised us
before and we need to stay vigilant."

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