11 Omicron Sub-Variants Found In 124 International Passengers; Alert Sounded

11 variants of Omicron have been found in India from the samples that collected from December 24-January 5 and sent for genome sequencing.

Updated: January 5, 2023 2:58 PM IST

By India.com News Desk | Edited by Jigyasa Sahay

11 Omicron Sub-Variants Found In 124 International Passengers; Alert Sounded
4th COVID Wave in India? Health Authorities in Kolkata on Toes After 2 Positive Cases Detected at Airport
Delhi: About 11 omicron sub-variants were found during testing of international travellers between December 24 and January 3, and all these variants have been earlier reported in India, reported ANI on Thursday. Of the 19,227 international travellers tested during the period, 124 were found COVID positive, they said, adding that all of them were put in isolation.
The sources said that of the 124 positive samples, genome sequencing results of 40 were received of which XBB, including XBB.1, was found in 14 samples and BF 7.4.1 in one sample. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has urged citizens not to panic unnecessarily but remain alert and follow the directives issued by the government.
Yesterday, West Bengal had reported 4 cases of BF.7 among the samples that were sent for genome sequencing last month. While all four had returned from abroad, three of them were from the same family. India has detected its first case of Covid-19 Omicron’s XBB.1.5 variant in Rajasthan in US-returned man from Sikar.

All About New Omicron Variants

  • For the uninitiated, Omicron variant BF 7 is driving the surge in China and few other countries. It  was first detected in China and India has seen its first case of this variant in Gujarat.
  • The symptoms of the new BF.7 sub-variant are similar to common flu and include cold, cough, fever, body pain, etc. As it is highly transmittable, it spreads to a larger group of people within a short duration.
  •  The XBB variant had a mutation that helped it beat the body’s immune defences, but this same quality also reduced its ability to infect human cells, reported the BBC.
  • Scientists from the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Wednesday that XBB.1.5 has a “growth advantage” above all other sub-variants seen so far.
  • 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, the SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said in its bulletin.

As COVID continues to spread, Government issued latest travel advisory where mandating RT-PCR tests from passengers arriving from high risk countries – China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Republic of Korea. It is also applicable for passengers in transit. Meanwhile, random 2 per cent sampling of international passengers will continue.

Earlier last week, Health Ministry had warned that the next 40 days will be crucial for India and has advised all citizens to follow COVID appropriate behaviour specially when in public sphere.

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