COVID-19: India's first case of Omicron XE variant confirmed by INSACOG

Amidst a spike in Covid cases, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) has finally confirmed the presence of Omicron's sub-variant XE, which is 10 percent more transmissible, in India.The confirmation from INSACOG came after XE - a recombinant variant of BA.1 and BA.2 sub lineages of Omicron - was reported from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Kerala. The Union health ministry has yet to comment on the variant.