‘XE’ variant is considered as a variant of interest, say experts

New Delhi: There has been a buzz about the new “XE” Covid variant in Mumbai; however, the reports have been denied by the Centre. According to government sources, INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) analysed FastQ files of the sample, which is supposed to be the “XE” variation, and concluded that the genomic constitution of this variant does not correlate with the genomic image of “XE”. The variant “XE” is the combination of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2, the virus has not created any severe havoc in the countries. Presently, it is the “Variant of Interest”, experts said.
“As far as I have seen, the virus was identified in January and has not caused any severe problems. There has not been any major expansion also, the experts have not seen any correlation between severe disease and XE infection, for now, it is a variant of interest,” Dr Rakesh Kumar Mishra, the director of Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, told The Sunday Guardian.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to the World Health Organisation, is still evolving. Given the current high level of transmission over the world, it’s likely that new varieties, including recombinants, may emerge, according to the report. Recombination is prevalent among coronaviruses and is considered an expected mutational event, according to the apex global public health agency. Dr Mishra added, “It is difficult to make any prediction from sequencing at present. Perhaps, it is a little more infectious compared to Omicron. It is still doubtful whether the virus may adversely impact on the body or cause vaccine breakthrough.” “Every variant is unique in itself. The WHO and other agencies have stated that XE is highly transmissible. As for India, it is yet to see the level of virulence. More research and studies need to be conducted,” Dr Nishith Kumar Pal, a microbiologist, told this paper. There are several other variants that are identified in India such as the Delta Plus variant, Kappa Variant and so forth. The first case of double mutation (B.1.617) was found in Maharashtra in December 2020. Similarly, along with India, there have been several reports of Delta plus variant in other nations, including Japan, Poland, Nepal, the US, the UK, Portugal, Switzerland, China, Russia and so forth. “Pandemic isn’t over yet; we need to follow Covid protocols as there is a chance that the new variant may cause havoc. There is no guarantee that the highly infectious disease will always be milder. There is a possibility that a new variant may prove to be highly infectious, cause more clinical symptoms and children may become more susceptible,” Dr Mishra said.