The first incidence of the novel coronavirus variant XE in India has been reported from Mumbai

India reported the first case of the novel XE type of coronavirus from Mumbai on Wednesday. The variation, which is thought to be more transmissible than Omicron, was discovered in the United Kingdom.

According to Mumbai’s civic authority BMC, the patient, a 50-year-old lady, is completely vaccinated against the virus and has displayed no symptoms thus far. She also does not have any comorbidities.

She is a costume designer by trade and arrived from South Africa on February 10, 2022. She tested negative for Covid-19 upon arrival in India, but on March 2, 2022, during regular testing, she was confirmed to be positive, and she was quarantined in the Taj Lands End in Mumbai’s suburban Bandra. Her samples, however, came back negative the next day.

As per BMC’s most recent sero survey report, 21 of the 230 samples received for sero survey from patients in Mumbai were later hospitalised. According to the study, none of the patients required oxygen or critical care.

Nine of those hospitalised had received both doses of the vaccination. The others had not been immunised. According to the research, none of the individuals who had their first vaccination needed to be hospitalised.

The Omicron variation was discovered in 228 samples. One was positive for the XE variation, while the other was positive for the Kappa variant.

The new variation XE is a mutant hybrid of two Omicron strains, BA.1 and BA.2. At the moment, it only accounts for a small percentage of instances worldwide.

According to the World Health Organization, the new mutation looked to be around 10% more transmissible than the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron.

Until today, the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron was thought to be the most infectious strain of Covid-19. If this new study is correct, XE will be the most transmissible Covid-19 mutant ever discovered.