India's active Covid cases near 6,500; ‘newly emerging XFG variant' found, says INSACOG
Amid the Covid-19 surge in India, the total number of active cases are nearing the 6,500 mark, with some of the infections being of a newly emerging variant, as per a news agency PTI report, citing INSACOG. As per the latest data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a total of 6,491 active cases have been recorded across India.
Based on the state-wise data, Kerala remains the worst-hit with a total of 1,957 active cases, with seven new cases reported in the last 24 hours.
Amid this surge, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) has reportedly said that over 160 active cases have been attributed to the new XFG variant.
As per the PTI report, INSACOG data suggests a total of 163 samples tested positive for the XFG variant. These were detected in Maharashtra with 89 cases, followed by Tamil Nadu (16), Kerala (15), and Gujarat (11).
Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal reported six cases each.
The XFG variant is a descendant of the Omicron subvariant of the coronavirus. As per a study issued by The Lancet, the variant was initially detected in Canada.
However, the XFG variant, "originating from LF.7 and LP.8.1.2, harbours four key spike mutations (His445Arg, Asn487Asp, Gln493Glu, and Thr572Ile) and has achieved rapid global spread," the study added.
As per The Lancet, the XFG variant also displays "strong immune evasion," which allows the virus to survive and spread as it manages to evade the body's natural defences.
As per the data issued by the Health Ministry on Monday, India has a total of 6,491 active cases.
After Kerala, which is the worst-hit state in the new surge, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Haryana have detected a high number of active cases.
While the union ministry has not recorded any deaths in the past 24 hours, a total of 65 deaths have been reported since January 1, 2025.
As per MoHFW data, these 65 deaths were reported in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat and Delhi.
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