Know The Impact Of XE Variant of Covid-19 In Telangana

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday (April 6) announced a 50-year-old woman has been infected with Coronavirus variant XE. XE, a sub-variant of Omicron, which caused the third wave of Covid-19 was not found in India so far. 

The World Health Organisation said that "The new mutant may be more transmissible than any strain of Covid-19." The new strain was detected in the UK at the beginning of this year. Britain's health agency said on April 3 that XE was first detected on January 19. 

XE is a recombinant which is mutation of BA'1 and BA.2 Omicron strains. When a patient is infected with many variants of COVID then the Recombinant mutations arise. The variants mix up their genetic material during replication and form a new mutation, UK experts said in a paper published in British Medical Journal.

Dr. M Vidyasagar, Distinguished Professor, IIT-Hyderabad, and member of the noted researchers who developed the SUTRA Mathematical Model of Pandemic Projections speaking to a news agency said, "I believe that not only people of Telangana but also others have already developed natural immunity from Delta and Omicron variants. People need not panic just because a new variant has been reported."

He further stated, "More than vaccine-induced immunity, data has shown that natural immunity is far more effective in containing Omicron variants. China and several other countries adopted the Zero-Covid policy through massive lockdowns. However, this was not the case in India, which has resulted in a large section of the population acquiring natural immunity."

So, it is said that the XE Variant of COVID-19 is unlikely to create much impact on the people of Telangana.

Also Read: ​New Omicron Covid Variant XE Symptoms