1st case of XE Covid-19 variant in India? Govt labs say no evidence yet

After the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation today (April 6, 2022) reported India's first case of XE variant of Covid-19 infection in Mumbai, a consortium of government-owned labs, which monitor genomic variations of the virus, have said scientific evidence so far does not indicate it to be so, Indian news agencies said quoting official sources.

The BMC earlier said a 50-year-old woman who had reached Mumbai from South Africa in February-end and tested positive for Covid-19 in March was infected with the XE variant, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

However, PTI and ANI, quoting official sources, said "present evidence do not yet indicate that it is a case of XE variant."

"Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) experts examined the FastQ files of the sample and have inferred that the genomic composition of this variant which infected the Mumbai woman does not correspond with the genomic composition of the XE variant," the two agencies said quoting the official sources.

"INSACOG is conducting a genomic analysis of the case after a follow-up declared XE positive case of Covid-19 in Mumbai," the sources were quoted as saying.

The INSACOG, jointly initiated by the Indian Health Ministry and Department of Biotechnology (DBT), is a consortium of 38 laboratories to monitor the genomic variations in Covid-19 strains.

According to BMC officials, a case of XE variant was detected during a sero survey and added the results came in genome sequencing of 376 samples, the 11th batch of testing in the local genome sequencing lab.

 The genome sequencing of 376 samples was conducted at the municipal Kasturba Hospital's Genome Sequencing Lab. The condition of the patients infected with the new strains of the virus was not serious, the official said.