Two unconfirmed cases were reported from Maharashtra and Gujarat, the country’s first case of Omicron sub-variant XE has been confirmed by the Indian SARS-CoV2 Genomics Sequencing Consortium (INSACOG), a network of national testing laboratories set up by the Government.
As of now, experts say, there is no evidence to suggest that a Covid infection from the XE sub-variant is different from those caused by the other Omicron sub-lineages. The new sub-variant has been found to be only about 10 percent more transmissible than the currently dominant BA.2 variant of Omicron, which triggered the third Covid wave in the country in January.
Two new sub-lineages of the Omicron variant can dodge antibodies from earlier infection, as per a new study. This may trigger a new wave, but the sub-lineages are far less able to thrive in the blood of vaccinated people.
The scientists from multiple institutions were examining Omicron’s BA.4 and BA.5 sublineages.
Two new sub-lineages of the Omicron coronavirus variant can dodge antibodies from earlier infection well enough to trigger a new wave, but are far less able to thrive in the blood of people vaccinated against COVID-19, South African scientists have found.
