NEW DELHI: OVER 300 cases of the extremely contagious Omicron BA.5 have been recorded in India. One of the sub-variants driving the increase of Covid in India and around the world is Omicron BA.5.
With 150 cases, Tamil Nadu has reported the most cases in India until July 17, followed by West Bengal, with 45 cases. The Omicron BA.4 sub-variant was found in 68 samples received by the Indian SARSCoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).
At least 20 such cases were reported in Telangana, according to the Union Health Ministry. India, like other nations, is witnessing a recent increase in Covid cases. The nation also reported cases of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants, which are more contagious.
An 80-year-old man in Telangana was diagnosed with the BA.5 in May while a 19-year-old girl in Tamil Nadu was the first person to contract BA.4 variant.
According to information provided by the ministry in Lok Sabha, 68 cases of BA.4 and 331 cases of BA.5 were found in India till July 17. The BA.5 sub-variant has been reported from 14 states so far, including Maharashtra (36), Telangana (28), Delhi (22), Andhra Pradesh (18), Gujarat (15), and Haryana (10).
Nine states reported BA.4 cases, with Telangana reporting the highest number of the Omicron sub-variant, followed by Tamil Nadu (18), Maharashtra (13), and West Bengal (7).