The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning against a new mutant ‘XE’ variant of Omicron, that may be more transmissible than any strain of Covid-19 seen before. This new variant is a recombinant strain, meaning it is a mutant hybrid of the two previous versions of the Omicron variant, BA.1 and BA.2, which spread across the world when it first became a variant of concern, reports said.
While India is reporting less cases of Covid-19 after the onset of the third wave led by the Omicron variant, experts warn that it still may not be time to let down guards ahead of this news.
In Delhi, the Covid-19 pandemic has subsided. However, the city continues to report approximately 100 cases per day. With minor ups and downs, the positivity rate has been hovering around 0.5 percent for nearly a fortnight.
On Saturday, for example, the city had a 0.71 percent positivity rate, with 114 out of 16,061 Covid-19 samples testing positive, report say.
In this scenario, and the fact that the new variant is 10 per cent more transmissible than the BA.2 subvariant, which is already the most contagious, a spurt may be registered in the coming times.
As per the WHO, BA.2, which is a subvariant of the Omicron strain, is the most dominant strain of the virus, being 86 per cent of all sequenced cases attributed to it.
While XE only accounts for a small fraction of the cases, its extremely high transmissibility could mean that it becomes the most dominant strain in the near future.
The WHO has recently issued a report outlining their initial findings of this potentially new variant of concern.
“The XE recombinant (BA.1-BA.2), was first detected in the UK on January 19 and less than 600 sequences have been reported and confirmed since,” the report said.
“Early-day estimates indicate a community growth rate advantage of 10 percent as compared to BA.2, however, this finding requires further confirmation,” it added.
The global health body noted that until they can detect “significant differences in transmission and disease characteristics, including severity”, XE will remain categorised as a part of the Omicron variant.
“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 report continued.
Should Masks Remain on in Delhi and Other Places
The national capital recently lifted its fine for not wearing masks in public.
However, experts say the mask mandate should remain. Dr Arun Gupta, president of the Delhi Medical Council, told the Times of India: “The pandemic is still on. Many countries, for example the US, UK, China and Hong Kong, are reporting significant surge in cases. There is no guarantee that India will not face the same again. That’s why I think the Covid protocols should continue until we have a sustained drop in new cases for at least a year.”
Maharashtra has also lifted its mask mandate along with other Covid-19 restrictions. The state always seek high spikes of cases in the occurrence of Covid-19 waves.
Experts Also Ask People to Not Worry, But Remain Cautious
Rakesh Mishra, Director of the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), told ANI, “The new mutant XE emerged for the first time in mid-January, but I believe there is no need to panic. So far, only 600 cases have been reported worldwide. But we must keep a close eye on it.”
He also stated that there is no evidence that it can cause a COVID-19 outbreak. “At the moment, there is no indication that this new variant is so powerful that it can cause a wave.”
He said it was needed to wait for some more time to make comments on how transmissible it can be.
Mishra also emphasised the importance of taking all precautions to prevent the virus from spreading.
“It is unfortunate that a segment of society appears eager to declare that the pandemic has ended. People should take precautions such as wearing masks, administering vaccines and boosters as directed, and avoiding unnecessary clustering in crowded places, particularly in close quarters,” he said.
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