India records first case of Covid-19 XE variant in Mumbai 

On Wednesday, the first case of the new Covid-19 variant XE was reported from Mumbai. After genetic testing of samples, the case was found. The patient is a 50-year-old woman who was fully vaccinated. She  arrived from South Africa on February 10. She had no symptoms and had tested negative for Covid-19 when she arrived in India.

Meanwhile, A Kappa variant of the virus has also been detected in the city, according to the Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The results of the genome sequencing of 376 samples, the 11th batch of testing in the genome sequencing lab, were released. 

According to the BMC, 228 of the 230 samples from Mumbai are of the Omicron variant, while one is of the Kappa variant and another is of the XE variant.

Reports said that the 50-year-old woman who was earlier suspected to be positive by the XE mutant is a costume designer by profession and a member of the shooting crew. Though she had tested negative on her arrival in India, in a routine testing on March 2, her results were found positive. 

The new strain of the virus is said to have reached Mumbai just days after the Maharashtra government lifted almost all Covid-19 restrictions and made mask wearing in public places voluntary.

According to the World Health Organization, the XE is a mutation of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron strains and was first detected in the United Kingdom on January 19. Early indications suggest that it could be 10% more transmissible than other Omicron mutations.

The XE variant was discovered in the United Kingdom for the first time.

Last week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had issued a warning against a new mutant 'XE' variant of Omicron, that may be more transmissible than any strain of Covid-19. According to the WHO, XE could become the most dominant strain in the near future due to its high transmissibility.