Covid Big Update: India reports rapid spread of XFG Variant, active cases cross 6500 mark, 3 deaths reported in last 24 hours
New Delhi: India is reporting a concerning surge in the Covid cases. According to the government data, the total number of active Covid-19 cases in India touched 6,815, as of 8 am on Tuesday, as 324 fresh cases of the virus were reported in the last 24 hours in the country. Three new Covid-19-related deaths were reported in the last 24 hours — one each in Delhi, Kerala and Jharkhand.
Kerala continues to be the most affected state with active cases tally reaching 2,053 early Tuesday. 96 fresh cases of the virus were reported in the state in the last 24 hours. It is followed by Gujarat, West Bengal and Delhi according to the MoHFW data, with the Capital reporting a reduction in the number of active Covid-19 cases from 728 on Monday to 691 today. As many as 783 patients were cured/discharged/migrated from across the country till this morning, as per the official website.
Apart from the Omicron sub-variant JN.1, other new variants are also present in India, contributing to the rise in infections. According to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), 163 cases of the newly emerging XFG variant have also been detected in the country. It is crucial to understand how risky this new variant could be in order to assess its severity. What is the XFG Variant?
According to The Lancet journal, the XFG variant is a descendant of the Omicron sub-variant, first identified in Canada. Originating from LF.7 and LP.8.1.2, the XFG variant carries four major spike mutations—His445Arg, Asn487Asp, Gln493Glu, and Thr572Ile. The research indicates that this variant has rapidly spread across the world. XFG also possesses the ability to evade strong immunity, enabling the virus to survive and spread by escaping the body's natural defense mechanisms. As per the latest data from INSACOG:
Maharashtra has reported the highest number of XFG cases (89), followed by Tamil Nadu (16), Kerala (15), Gujarat (11), and Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal (6 cases each). Most of these cases (159) were reported in May 2024, with only 2 cases each reported in April and June.
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