India reports first case of new coronavirus variant XE in Mumbai

New Delhi : In a new development, India has reported its first case of new coronavirus variant XE in Mumbai; the new variant was first detected in United Kingdom and is believed to be more transmissible than omicron.

The new variant has been found in a 50-year-old woman, who had recently travelled to South Africa. She arrived in India on February 10, 2022. On arrival, the woman had tested negative but was later found positive on March 2, 2022.

She is fully vaccinated and did not show any symptoms of coronavirus. Currently, she has been quarantined at the Taj Lands End in Mumbai’s suburban Bandra.

The new variant XE is a mutant hybrid of two versions of Omicron - BA.1 and BA.2. It only accounts for a small fraction of cases across the globe at the moment.

According to the World Health Organization it is 10 per cent more transmissible than the original omicron variant.