India reported over 800 new cases of COVID 19 in a single day for the first time in 126 days on Saturday. The number of active cases has gone up to 5,389.
According to the latest data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium INSACOG, there were 76 samples of the XBB. In the country, a 1.16 variant of COVID 19 has been detected. The XBB 1.16 variant was first identified in January when two samples tested positive, and in February a total of 59 samples were found, and samples were found in Karnataka 30 Maharashtra 29 Puducherry 5 Telangana 2 Gujarat 1 Himachal Pradesh 1 and Odisha 1. In March, 15 more samples of the variant have been detected. Experts have warned that this variant could be responsible for the recent surge in COVID 19 cases.
Dr Randeep Guleria, former AIIMS director who led the national Covid task force, suggested that the rise in Covid cases may be due to the XBB 1.16 variant, while an increase in influenza cases is likely due to H 3 N 2.
Following Covid-appropriate behaviour can help to contain the spread of the infection. The chairman, the Institute of Internal Medicine, Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Director-Medical Education at Medanta, and former AIIMS director, said that most of the cases are not severe.
All eyes should be on India! 1.16 aka Arcturus could be able to wade through the'sturdy' population immunity of Indians that successfully resisted the onslaught of variants like BA. The whole world must be worried about 1.5, if not more than 1.5! Vipin M Vashishtha, a former convener of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics and consultant paediatrician at Mangla Hospital and Research Centre, tweeted.
In a letter to six states, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan advised them to look at the situation of COVID- 19 at the micro-level and to implement necessary measures for the prompt and effective management of the disease.