Another case of XE variant detected in Gujarat after Mumbai

Gujarat has detected a case of XE Covid variant, which is said to be highly transmissible, sources have said. This comes days after Mumbai's civic body reported India's first patient who got affected by the new recombinant variant that has sparked global concerns.

The central government and Maharashtra's health department, however, had not confirmed the case in India's financial capital.

In Gujarat, the case is believed to be old. The genome sequencing test results, which help in the detection of Covid variants - can take a few days to weeks.

A statement from Mumbai's civic body - the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation earlier this week said that the hybrid of two Omicron strains BA.1 and BA.2 was detected in a 50-year-old woman who had traveled to the city from South Africa in February.

While WHO insisted last week that the new variant could be more transmissible, the country's top virologist said "it is not a point of concern" in vaccinated population.

The hybrid strain was first detected in the UK in January. According to the WHO, it could be the most transmissible variant yet and is estimated to spread 10 per cent more easily than BA.2, which itself was more transmissible than original Omicron.