Mumbai has reported India’s first case of the more contagious coronavirus variant, named XE, the city’s civic body said in a statement on Wednesday. The patient is a 50-year-old fully vaccinated woman who had arrived from South Africa on February 10. She was asymptomatic and had tested negative for Covid-19 on arrival in India.
According to the Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a Kappa variant of the virus has also been detected in the city. The results came in the genome sequencing of 376 samples, the 11th batch of testing in genome sequencing lab. Of the 230 samples from Mumbai, 228 samples are of Omicron variant, while one was found to be Kappa variant and another XE variant, the BMC said.
Reports said the suspected XE patient is a costume designer by profession and a member of the shooting crew. Though she had tested negative on her arrival in India, in a routine testing on March 2, her results were found positive.
The new variant of the virus reportedly reached Mumbai just days after Maharashtra government lifted almost all the Covid-19 restrictions and made wearing of mask in public places voluntary.
According to the World Health Organisation, the XE is a mutation of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron strains and was first detected in the UK on January 19. Early indications suggest it could be around 10 per cent more transmissible than other Omicron mutations.
So far there is not enough evidence to draw conclusions about transmissibility, severity or vaccine effectiveness, the UK Health Security Agency said.
The XE variant has been detected in Thailand and New Zealand, too.
There is no evidence XE is any more serious in disease severity, with all Omicron variants so far shown to be less severe. The WHO said further data is required before more can be said about the mutation.
