New Delhi, May 24: Amid reports of increasing cases of SARS-CoV-2 virus in India, data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), set up under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, showed the presence of NB.1.8.1, LF.7 — descendants of JN.1 Covid variant in the country.
Data from the INSACOG, a consortium of 64 laboratories to monitor genomic variations of Covid virus, showed one case of NB.1.8.1 and four instances of the LF.7 type. While NB.1.8.1 was identified in April in Tamil Nadu, four cases of LF.7 were detected in Gujarat in May. Currently, both LF.7 and NB.1.8 have been classified as Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) by the World Health Organization (WHO).
A VUM is a term used to signal to public health authorities that a SARS-CoV-2 variant may require prioritised attention and monitoring. Besides India, these variants are also reportedly driving Covid cases in China and other parts of Asia.
As of May 19, data from the Ministry of Health shows that India has had 257 active Covid cases. JN.1 is the common variant in circulation in India — comprising 53 per cent of samples tested. It is followed by BA.2 (26 per cent) and other Omicron sublineages (20 per cent).
According to WHO’s preliminary risk assessment, NB.1.8.1 poses a low public health risk worldwide. Yet its spike protein mutations, such as A435S, V445H, and T478I, suggest increased transmissibility and immune evasion compared to other variants.
Meanwhile, several states and cities in the country have reported a surge in cases. Maharashtra has reported 106 Covid cases, with Mumbai logging 95 so far in May. Haryana’s Gurugram reported three cases, while Faridabad reported one.
Tamil Nadu has also seen a recent increase, with 12 new cases reported in Puducherry. Karnataka has confirmed 16 active Covid cases, according to state health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. In Gujarat, seven cases were reported in a single day in Ahmedabad. The state currently has 15 active Covid cases.
Delhi recorded 23 new cases, Andhra Pradesh reported four in the last 24 hours, Telangana confirmed one, and a nine-month-old in Bengaluru tested positive amid a gradual rise over the past 20 days.
Kerala reported 273 cases in May alone. However, the health ministry has assured that the country has a robust system for surveillance of respiratory viral illnesses, including Covid also exists in the country through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and ICMR.
IANS