XE: New COVID-19 Variant Registered in India

In Mumbai, India, the first case of infection with the COVID-19 Omicron subvariant XE has been reported. According to Armenpress, this was announced by the Times of India.

The publication notes that the new variant is considered a hybrid of previously identified Omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.2. The XE variant was first identified in the United Kingdom on January 19, 2022.

According to the World Health Organization's preliminary assessment, the new strain could be "the most transmissible variant observed so far." Since the beginning of the pandemic, India has recorded over 43 million cases of infection, with around 521,000 deaths.