So far the foreign wave of Covid has not affected us, follow Covid-appropriate behaviour to keep the virus at bay, the experts say
No need to worry about the variant but should focus on testing, said experts. File pic
Mumbaikars need not panic about the XE variant of Covid-19 and continue following the Covid-appropriate behaviour to keep the virus at bay, the experts and task force members have said. The city has so far reported two XE variant cases, of which one still needs confirmation from the Centre. As per the experts, the XE variant is a recombinant mutant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 sub-lineage. It means, it is a subtype of the Omicron variant.
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Dr Shashank Joshi, a Covid Task Force member, said, “It is an unknown variant. Its current behaviour is very similar to BA.1 and BA.2 of Omicron. As of now, there is hardly any data to make any conclusion. There is no need to panic and people must follow Covid-appropriate behaviour.”
Two XE cases
The BMC health department reported the first XE variant case on April 6. A 50-year-old fashion designer’s genome report confirmed an XE variant, but the Centre denied it and had asked BMC to send a sample for a confirmatory run and its report is still awaited. As per the BMC officials, she tested positive on March 2. The patient was fully vaccinated, had no symptoms and there was no need for hospitalisation. On the next day, her report came negative too.
In another case, a 67-year-old male resident of Mumbai, along with his wife, went to Vadodara on March 11 via flight. He had a mild fever on the same day. On the next day, they met with two British citizens and post that the suspect went for testing and his report came positive.
No need to panic
The Covid death review committee head Dr Avinash Supe said, “These are all March cases and they have not spread. Hence, I don’t think it is very severe. We should focus on testing and tracking.
However, there is no need to worry as of now. We have already suffered from Omicron and most of our population is fully vaccinated. So far the foreign wave of Covid has not affected us that much. We should be observant.”
According to the World Health Organization, the XE variant was first detected in the UK on January 19. The sub-variant has also been detected in Thailand and New Zealand. So far, there is no scientific evidence XE is any more serious in severity than all Omicron variants.
A Covid-19 Task Force member and Critical Care Expert at Wockhardt Hospital, Dr Kedar Toraskar, said, “As per the current situation there is nothing to panic about. As of now, it doesn't look like a bad variant, but we have to keep a close watch. Everyone must follow Covid-appropriate behaviour as this virus is very unpredictable."
Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said, “People should not be much worried about the XE variant. It's been a month since the patient tested positive. Another patient has tested positive in Gujarat. If it is so virulent then it could have already spread and created a problem for us. As of now, there is no need to panic.”
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