"More Contagious" Covid XE Variant Found In Mumbai: 5 Key Points

The first case of the new Covid variant XE was today reported from Mumbai, the city's civic body said. The new variant appears to be 10 per cent more transmissible than the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron, according to the World Health Organisation. The variant was first reported in the UK.

The newly identified XE variant is a mutation of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron strains, referred to as a "recombinant”. As per the initial studies, the XE variant has a growth rate of 9.8 per cent over that of BA.2, also known as the stealth variant because of its ability to evade detection, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSCA) has said.

Here's all you need to know about the mutant:

-- India has recorded one case of XE. Of the 230 samples sent from Mumbai for genome sequencing, one was found to be XE variant, while another was Kappa variant. The other 228 samples are of Omicron variant of coronavirus.

-- 637 new cases have been reported in UK until March 2, stated the health body. But most cases are coming from the East of England, London, and the South East so far.

-- The UK has experienced a record surge in COVID-19 cases in the past week. The Office for National Statistics said that one in every 13 people - or 4.9 million - had the virus in the week ending March 26.

-- However, the XE variant has been found in less than 1 percent of the total sequenced cases.

-- XE was first detected via sequencing on January 19 this year. 

-- While the Office for National Statistics has found the growth rate of XE to be around 10 percent above the BA.2 variant, authorities said it is too early to suggest how contagious is the new mutant. 

-- Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has stated, in its report, that the latest mutant may be more transmissible than the previous ones.

-- Two more hybrid strains have also been detected in the UK. They are XD and XF. While XD is a mutation between the French Delta and BA.1 lineage of the Omicron variant, XF evolved as a hybrid form of the UK Delta and BA.1 lineage.