Hours after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said a XE variant of the COVID-19 case has been detected in Mumbai, the official government sources have rejected the claims, saying “present evidence doesn’t suggest” that it is the new coronavirus strain.
“FastQ files of the sample, being said to be ‘XE’ variant was analysed by INSACOG genomic experts who inferred that genomic constitution of this variant doesn’t correlate with genomic picture of ‘XE’ variant,” news agency ANI quoted sources as saying.
“FastQ files in respect of the sample, which is being said to be ‘XE’ variant were analysed in detail by genomic experts of INSACOG who have inferred that the genomic constitution of this variant does not correlate with the genomic picture of ‘XE’ variant,” they added.
Earlier in the day, the BMC said XE variant has been detected in the city. It said a 50-year-old woman who arrived from South Africa in February was found to have this Omicron sub-variant.
“Results of 11th test under the Covid virus genetic formula determination – 228 or 99.13 per cent (230 samples) patients detected with Omicron. One patient affected by ‘XE’ variant and another is affected by the ‘Kapa’ variant of COVID19,” the BMC said in a release.
The XE variant, detected first in the UK, is a mutation of strains of the Omicron variant that had caused the third wave of the pandemic in India. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), XE has a growth rate of 9.8 per cent, which is above the stealth BA.2 Omicron variant.
“So far there is not enough evidence to draw conclusions about transmissibility, severity or vaccine effectiveness,” the UKHSA said. “As this estimate has not remained consistent as new data have been added, it cannot yet be interpreted as an estimate of growth advantage for the recombinant.”
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning against the XE variant, saying it has detected “significant differences in transmission and disease characteristics, including severity”.
“The XE recombinant (BA.1-BA.2), was first detected in the UK on 19 January and less than 600 sequences have been reported and confirmed since,” the WHO said in a report, as reported by news agency IANS.
“Early-day estimates indicate a community growth rate advantage of 10 per cent as compared to BA.2, however, this finding requires further confirmation.”
“WHO continues to closely monitor and assess the public health risk associated with recombinant variants, alongside other SARS-CoV-2 variants, and will provide updates as further evidence becomes available,” the global health body noted.
