Omicron sub-lineage continues to be predominant variant, 349 samples of XBB1.16 detected
Darpan News Desk IANS, 23 Mar, 2023 02:16 PM
New Delhi, March 23 (IANS) Amid the new Covid surge in the country, the Omicron variant and it's sub-lineage continue to be the predominant variant in the country.
According to INSACOG data, a total of 349 samples of Omicron sub-variant XBB1.16 have been detected in genome sequencing.
Total 349 samples of this variant have been detected in the country in last three months, the data showed.
XBB 1.16 was first found in January. However, while only two samples were found then, the number rose to 138 in February, and in March till date total 204 samples of this variant have been found through genome sequencing.
The highest number of cases of this variant have been found in Maharashtra at 105, followed by Telangana 93, Karnataka 57 and Gujarat 54 as per the data.
The other predominant Omicron variant in the country is XBB.1.5 presently. Total 196 samples of this variant have been found in last three months. Total samples of this variant were 46 in January, which rose to 103 in February and in March, it came down to 47 in genome sequencing.
However, the ministry has said that there is no evidence of increase in the ratio of hospitalisation or mortality due to this variant in the country.
Aviation regulator DGCA has launched a probe into the Kedarnath helicopter crash in which seven people, including the pilot, were killed on Tuesday. The helicopter, carrying pilgrims, crashed after takeoff from the Kedarnath shrine near Garud Chatti in Rudraprayag at around 11.40 a.m.
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the Gujarat government affidavit "proves beyond a shadow of doubt that the release was a political decision made with not just the knowledge but the concurrence of those in the highest echelons of power in the Modi government".
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that the national capital would get 100 electric vehicle charging stations in two months. The Chief Minister inaugurated 11 high-tech low-cost electric charging stations to promote the adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the state.
Since Saturday, the Assam Rifles and Mizoram Police personnel have seized foreign cigarettes valued at Rs 2.72 crore, drugs valued at Rs 34.18 crore and rescued 140 exotic animals and arrested four persons in this connection.
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police has arrested a swindler who cheated people to the tune of Rs 8 crore in lieu of making business associates in an 'air cargo company'. The accused has been identified as Balakrishnan Shivram Iyer, a resident of Puri Emerald Apartment, a luxury residential society in Gurugram.
Television actress Vaishali Takkar, who died by suicide at her residence in Indore on Sunday, was about to marry a US-based software engineering in December. She had also made elaborate plans for the wedding shopping and hosting a party after the Diwali. However, Vaishali took the extreme step on Sunday after she was reportedly harassed by her neighbour, who is currently on the loose.
