India has 76 variants of the new Covid variant XBB1.16 : INSACOG data

According to INSACOG statistics, a total of 76 samples of the Covid-19 XBB.1.16 variant have been discovered, and this variant may be the cause of the nation's recent increase in case numbers.

According to statistics from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), the variant has been identified in Karnataka (30), Maharashtra (29), Puducherry (7), Delhi (5), Telangana (2), Gujarat (1), Himachal Pradesh (1), and Odisha (1).

Two samples that were positive for the XBB 1.16 variation were first discovered in January, and a total of 59 samples were discovered in February.

The INSACOG reported that 15 examples of the XBB 1.16 variant have been discovered so far in March.

According to some experts, the sudden increase in Covid-19 this variant instance.

The national Covid task force was headed by former AIIMS director Dr. Randeep Guleria, who also stated that H3N2 influenza cases seem to be driving the increase in Covid cases.

"For both of these, using Covid-appropriate behavior can stop the illness from spreading. There is currently no need for panic, according to the chairman of the Institute of Internal Medicine, Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Director of Medical Education at Medanta, and previous director of the AIIMS.

The new XBB.1.16 variant has now been discovered in the Mangla Hospital and Research Center, Bijnor, according to Vipin M. Vashishtha, a former convenor of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics and expert pediatrician There are at least 12 nations, with India having the most instances, followed by the US, Brunei, Singapore, and the UK.

There has been a 281% rise in cases in India. He tweeted that there had been a 17% rise in deaths in the previous 14 days.

"India deserves to have all eyes on it! Another of his tweets read, "The whole world must be serious!! If XBB.1.16 aka #Arcturus could succeed to wade through the 'sturdy' population immunity of Indians that effectively resisted the onslaught of variants like BA.2.75, BA.5, BQs, and XBB.1.5.

On Saturday, India's Covid-19 case count for a single day reached 800 after 126 days, and the number of current cases increased to 5,389.