India’s first case of XE variant of coronavirus disease reported from Mumbai

India’s first case of the XE variant of the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) was reported in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Results of the 11th genome sequencing declared by the city civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) found one sample positive for XE variant and another for Kappa variant.

The individual who tested positive for the XE variant was a fully vaccinated 50-year-old women with no co-morbidity and asymptomatic, BMC officials said. She had come from South Africa on 10th February and had no prior travel history. On arrival, she had tested negative for the virus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had said the new subvariant – ‘XE’ – a hybrid strain of two Omicron sub variants, could be the most transmissible coronavirus strain so far.

According to the global health body, early studies indicated the variant had a growth rate advantage of 10 per cent as compared to BA.2, one of the very contagious variants.