Five cases of Covid 19’s XBB.1.5 variant in India; Three from Gujarat

Gandhinagar: Five cases of COVID-19’s XBB.1.5 variant, were found in India, according to data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG). Of the five, three cases were found in Gujarat and one each in Karnataka and Rajasthan, according to INSACOG figures on Tuesday.

Out of three cases in Gujarat, Two are from Ahmedabad, and one case is form Anand.

The XBB.1.5 strain is a relative of the Omicron XBB variant, which is a recombinant of the Omicron BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants. Combined, XBB and XBB.1.5 make up 44 % of cases in the US.

COVID-19 variant Omicron and its sub-lineages continue to be the dominant variant in India with ‘XBB’ being the most prevalent sub-lineage circulating all over the country, INSACOG has said. DeshGujarat