Covid: New XBB.1.16 Variant Likely Behind Surge In India, 349 Cases Detected In 9 States

According to former AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria, the new XBB.1.16 variant could be driving the recent surge. However, he said there is no need to panic unless it causes severe illness or death.

A medic collects a sample for the COVID-19 test at a public health centre.

Source : PTI

New Delhi: Amid a recent uptick in Covid-19 cases in the country, a total of 349 samples of the new XBB.1.16 variant, that might have been driving the surge, was found in India, data by INSACOG showed.

The samples of the new variant was found in nine states and Union Territories, with the highest in Maharashtra at 105, followed by Telangana 93, Karnataka 61 and Gujarat 54, news agency PTI reported.

According to former AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria, the new XBB.1.16 variant could be driving the recent surge. However, he said there is no need to panic unless it causes severe illness or death.

He said the new variants will keep coming as the Covid virus keeps on mutating over time, and the XBB 1.16 is sort of a 'new kid on the block'. The XBB.1.16 is a recombinant lineage of the virus and is a descendent of the XBB lineage of Covid-19.

The variant XBB 1.16 was first found in January, when two samples tested positive for it. In February, 140 samples of XBB 1.16 were found. In March, 207 XBB 1.16 variant samples were found till now, as per INSACOG data.

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It is to be noted that India has been witnessing an uptick in Covid-19 cases in the country recently.

On Thursday, India reported 1,300 new coronavirus cases, the highest in 140 days, while the active cases increased to 7,605. The death toll has reached 5,30,816 with three fatalities. One death each has been reported by Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra, the data updated at 8 am stated.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting and called for maintaining vigil and precaution amid a spike in influenza and coronavirus cases in the country over the past two weeks. He stressed the need to boost genome sequencing and adhering to Covid-appropriate behaviour, an official statement said.