BMC SAYS FIRST CASE OF COVID XE SUB-VARIANT FOUND; CENTRE DENIES

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: An infection of the XE sub-variant of the Sars-CoV-2 Omicron variant was reported in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a statement on Wednesday, following the results of the latest batch of samples sent for genome sequencing, but the detection appeared to be disputed by the Union health ministry, which said a detailed analysis by Insacog experts suggested it was not XE.

In its statement, BMC said of the 230 samples, the XE variant was detected in one sample, the Kappa variant was detected in one sample, and the Omicron variant was detected in 228 samples.

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner incharge of BMC’s public health department said, “As per our genome sequencing results, the sample tested positive for the XE variant, subject to verification. With directives from the Government of India, we will send the sample to the GoI for verification. There can be margin for error, especially in this case as it is a mutant of two strains.”

A Union health ministry official, asking not to be named, said: “The analysis of Insacog scientific group using FAST Q Tool for analysis shows that in all probability, it is not XE”.

The samples were analysed in detail by genomic experts of Indian SARS-CoV -2 Genomics Consortium (Insacog). A senior official in the National Centre for Disease Control too said “there was no final confirmation” on the new variant. XE is the result of a recombination of the BA.1 and BA.2, the first two Omicron variant lineages that spread widely. Such recombinations are common.“It appears to be more transmissible but there is no confirmed evidence. Even though it won’t be surprising if it is found to be more transmissible as we have seen BA.2 has been more transmissible than BA.1. There are going to be newer variants as it is an RNA virus highly replicating in nature,” said Dr Ekta Gupta, senior microbiologist, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences.