What You Need to Know About the New COVID-19 Variant XFG in India

Emergence of COVID-19 Variant XFG in India

New Delhi: Recent data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) indicates that India has identified approximately 163 cases of the new COVID-19 variant known as XFG.

This recombinant variant features four significant spike mutations and has rapidly spread globally since its first identification in Canada, as reported in The Lancet.

The distribution of the XFG variant in India shows that Maharashtra has the highest number of cases at 89, followed by Tamil Nadu with 16, Kerala with 15, and Gujarat with 11. Additionally, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal each reported six cases.

In May alone, 159 samples were confirmed to carry the XFG variant, with two samples detected in April and another two in June, according to the latest data.

As of Sunday, India's active COVID-19 cases have surpassed 6,000, with an increase of 769 cases reported in the last 48 hours, according to the Union health ministry.