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By CNBCTV18.com Mar 17, 2023 5:28:26 PM IST (Published)
Dr Vipin M Vashishtha, a member of WHO’s Vaccine Safety Net, said in a tweet on March 15, "New Covid variant, XBB.1.16 could be behind the fresh spike in India". Read on to know all about the XBB.1.16 variant.
The XBB.1.16 variant of COVID-19 could be behind the recent surge in Covid-19 cases across the country, according to experts quoted by several reports lately. Ever since the H3N2 influenza virus made headlines, the country has witnessed a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases.
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On Friday, India recorded a single-day spike of 796 COVID-19 infections, while the number of active cases crossed 5,000 after 109 days, according to Union health ministry data.
Taking the situation into consideration, the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry had on Thursday urged six states — Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka — to follow strict testing, tracking, treating and vaccinations.
Now, experts believe that XBB.1.16, a descendant of the XBB.1 variant, could be behind the recent spike which is being witnessed at a time when several other viruses such as H3N2 and adenovirus are circulating in the atmosphere.
Dr Vipin M Vashishtha, a member of WHO’s Vaccine Safety Net, said in a tweet on March 15, "New Covid variant, XBB.1.16 could be behind the fresh spike in India. This new sublineage of XBB is spreading fast in 4 countries, but India is the epicentre. The next few weeks are crucial to decide its future course."
What is XBB.1.16?
The Times of India quoted an expert from India’s genome sequencing network as saying that the XBB.1.16 variant "has not descended from XBB.1.5, but both have descended from the recombinant ancestor XBB and more recently XBB.1".
Which COVID-19 variant is dominant in India right now?
It is known that the XBB is currently dominating India. However, the latest uptick in COVID-19 cases "could be a result of XBB.1.16 and perhaps XBB.1.5, but a few more sample runs would clear the picture", the expert said.
"It is also possible that XBB.1.16 may have originated in India," the expert was quoted as saying.
How many cases of XBB.1.16 does India have?
India currently has 48 sequenced samples of this sublineage, as per covSPECTRUM, an international platform tracking COVID variants, News 18 reported. The platform accesses GISAID data and helps scientists identify variants of SARS-CoV-2.
According to an international platform tracking Covid variants, the highest number of this sublineage's sequences have come from India (48), followed by Brunei (22), the United States (15) and Singapore (14).
Now, @GISAID has also confirmed: The current uptick in COVID19 cases in India is indeed caused by XBB.1.16 aka #Arcturus
Still, quite early days to comment on virulenceAbsolute numbers are still very low!Many states have yet to submitH/T: @vinodscaria https://t.co/q2372f9Ajg pic.twitter.com/ptoLjLyuNC— Vipin M. Vashishtha (@vipintukur) March 16, 2023
Which states are witnessing XBB.1.16 prevalence?
XBB.1.16 is said to be showing a high prevalence in Maharashtra and Gujarat as per covSPECTRUM.
Do we need to worry about XBB.1.16?
Dr Vipin M Vashishtha said that the XBB.1.5 (an XBB.1 variant) had become dominant across the world but not in India. However, "there is some worry about XBB.1.16 globally because it has certain mutations in the non-spike region of the virus: two ORF9b mutations. ORF9b has been implicated in efficient immune evasion," Vashishtha said.
What about XBB.1.16's immune escape properties?
"XBB.1.16 now has a relative growth advantage of 166.33 percent, said Vashishtha in a tweet on Match 15. "Its percentage is growing rapidly: 2 percent (between Jan 10 to Feb 10) to 35-40% from Feb 11 to March 10," he said.
Indian dashboard is studded with XBB & its sublineages!
⚠️ But the most worrying is the significant presence of XBB.1.16!⚠️ Its percentage is growing rapidly: 2% (between Jan 10 to Feb 10) to 35-40% from Feb 11 to March 10!!⚠️ ORF9b mute w/ XBB.1.16H/T: @siamosolocani https://t.co/lWEOvJUDvP pic.twitter.com/WuHoHQpKxk— Vipin M. Vashishtha (@vipintukur) March 12, 2023
However, not much information is yet available on XBB.1.16’s relative immune escape properties and ability to cause severe illness as compared to other Omicron sub-lineages, said Dr Sanjay Pujari, a member of India’s national COVID-19 task force.
Symptoms of infection due to XBB.1.16
No unique symptoms of the new XBB.1.16 COVID variant has been reported so far — that is, so far, all symptoms of XBB.1.16 are similar to those of earlier variants — according to reports. Symptoms such as headache, muscle pain, fatigue, sore throat, breathlessness and cough are some symptoms of COVID-19. Apart from these, people have also been experiencing abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
(Edited by : Pradeep John)
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