BA.2 and its sub-lineages are responsible for more than 85% of COVID cases in India, BA.2.38 are found in about 33% of samples
BA.2 and its sub-lineages are responsible for more than 85% of COVID cases in India, BA.2.38 are found in about 33% of samples
States and Union Territories have been asked to submit “large numbers” of samples for whole genome sequencing from districts and regions that have seen an increase. covid-19 case Over a period of seven days, official sources said on June 18.
The directive was issued during a meeting of INSACOG on Friday to review the COVID data to examine the possibility of any new emerging variant or sub-version and to find out the reasons behind the successful transition.
According to experts from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), Omicron and his Sub-Descent – Mainly BA.2 and BA.2.38 so far – are behind the current increase in the number of COVID cases in the country, according to a source.
BA.2 and its sub-lineages are responsible for more than 85% of the COVID cases in India, with BA.2.38 being found in about 33% of the samples.
The source said that BA.4 and BA.5 are found in less than 10% of the samples.
“The reason behind asking the states and union territories to send samples in large numbers is to keep a close watch on the current circulating sub-lineage of Omicron and its relationship with the current epidemiological picture,” an official said. PTI,
“Furthermore, we want to see if we are missing any important clues about new sub-types during routine sequencing through sentinel surveillance,” the official said.
As of today, there are over 1,000 COVID cases in 10 states and union territories – Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal and Gujarat.
“The last review meeting concluded that the country has no cause for concern so far. India now has BA.4 and BA.5 in addition to BA.2, which have slightly higher transmission efficiencies than other Omicron subs. Dynasty,” said the official.
INSACOG, a joint initiative of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Health, undertakes genome sequencing to understand how viruses spread and evolve.
Thirty-two districts in India, including 11 in Kerala and five in Maharashtra, are reporting weekly Covid positivity rates in excess of 10%, while in 35 districts, including nine in Delhi, weekly positivity ranges between five and 10%. Sources said.
with 13,216 fresh casesIndia’s COVID-19 tally has gone up to 4,32,83,793, while the number of active cases has risen to 68,108, according to the health ministry’s data updated on Saturday morning.
The death toll due to the viral disease has risen to 5,24,840 with 23 more deaths.
According to health experts, though there has been an increase in the number of COVID cases, there has been no related increase in hospitalizations or deaths. Also, the increase is limited to a few districts.
People’s reluctance to follow COVID-appropriate behavior, plus many not enthusiastic about taking precautionary doses of vaccines, has likely increased the pool of susceptible populations.
In addition, there has been an increase in mobility due to the summer holidays, the easing of travel restrictions – both nationally and internationally – and the complete opening of economic activity, which has led to the spread of infections to vulnerable individuals.