"BA.2.10 and BA.2.12 are BA.2 sub-lineages that have been detected and many old BA.2 sequences have been reclassified into these new sub-lineages. So far these sub-lineages are not reported to be associated with increased severity of disease," the bulletin said, adding that so far there are no reports of XE clusters across India.
“New variants of the virus are being discovered around the world almost every other day, and many more will emerge as time passes. We have to understand that unless a variant is deemed as a ‘variant of concern’ by the WHO, we need not be worried about it,” added Jain.
So-called “gain-of-function” studies, which look at what mutations SARS-CoV-2 needs to spread more efficiently, have identified plenty of mutations that improve the spike protein’s ability to bind to human cells that omicron doesn’t have. Besides this, improvements could be made to other aspects of the virus life cycle, such as genome replication
There may be some more cases in other hospitals as Delhi government has designated four more private hospitals for the treatment.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo confirmed on Monday in a tweet that he became the first to die from Omicron in the county.
The Institute of Life Sciences (ILS)-Bhubaneswar on Tuesday confirmed the detection of the new variant on the basis of genome sequencing clinical test reports.
In India, the Omicron variant caseload is rising each day. Delhi on Tuesday reported four more cases of Omicron taking the total tally to six. However, one person infected with Omicron variant has been discharged from the hospital.
So far, a total of 15 foreign travellers were found COVID-19 RT-PCR positive and all the 15 samples were sent to CCMB for Genome sequencing.
Omicron was first detected in a sample taken on November 8 in Gauteng, South Africa's most populous province, and was officially reported on November 24.
Their samples have been sent for genome sequencing lab attached to the hospital. The travellers have mild symptoms. All are Indian citizens coming from the foreign visit, added the source.
