The new XBB was announced by the former Chief of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, AIIMS Dr. Randeep Guleria. The recent surge in COVID 19 cases could have been caused by the 1.16 variant. He said there was no need to panic or worry if no severe illnesses or deaths are reported. New variants of COVID 19 will keep coming, as the virus keeps mutating, according to Guleria, a new kid on the block.
As long as they don't lead to severe illness, hospitalization and deaths, it is alright because it helps in giving some immunity to the population if they have mild illness, as part of the national COVID 19 task force, said Dr. Guleria, who was also a part of the news agency PTI. Guleria said there might be a surge in cases because of the 1.16 variant, which could unleash a new wave of COVID 19 over the next few days. He said that cases could also be underreported because people are concerned and would get themselves tested.
The former COVID 19 task force member said most people don't get themselves tested if they have flu-like symptoms. He said that while some use rapid antigen tests, they do not report even if their COVID- 19 test is positive.
Most people don't get themselves tested even if they have flu-like symptoms. Some people use the rapid antigen test, and they do not report it if they are positive. Dr Guleria underlined that the number we are reporting may be less than the actual number in the community.
He said that those who test positive should report it because it helps the government and policymakers track the actual number of cases and plan a strategy. He said that there is no need to panic until it does not lead to deaths and hospitalisations if there is a surge.
He added that the virus evolves over time in the case of COVID and influenza, also known as antigenic drift. He said that the COVID outbreak started with Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron variants.
The virus kept on changing, according to Dr Guleria. We have variants that are basically sub-lineages of Omicron only if we look at what has happened in the last year. The virus has stabilized a bit, but it is not changing as quickly as it used to be in the past. India has 1,300 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, with the current COVID 19 caseload at 7,605 as of Thursday. According to the Union Health Ministry data, 718 recoveries were reported in the last 24 hours, reaching 4,41, 60,997.