Omicron XBB.1.16 must be watched closely: WHO

New Delhi: The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that the latest subvariant of Omicron XBB.1.16 must be closely monitored as it is behind the recent hike in Covid-19 infections in India, IANS reported.

WHO informed that it added XBB.1.16 as the sixth variant under monitoring on March 22. It said that though infections and deaths are decreasing at the global level, in some countries like India, there were recent spikes reported.

"XBB.1.16 has replaced other circulating sub-variants in India," Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's Covid-19 technical lead, said at a recent press briefing. "So this is one to watch. It's been in circulation for a few months."

Around 800 sequences on XBB.1.16 have been found so far, and most of them are from India. XBB.1.16 has a similar profile to XBB.1.5 but has additional changes in the spike protein, Van Kerkhove said.

She said lab studies suggested that XBB.1.16 showed signs of more contagious and potentially increased pathogenicity.

"We haven't seen a change in severity in individuals or in populations," but "one of the things we are very concerned about is the potential for the virus to change to become not only more transmissible but more severe. So we have to remain vigilant," She said.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), XBB.1.5 has reached saturation, making up 87.9 per cent of samples. Three other Omicron subvariants, XBB.1.9.1, XBB, and XBB.1.5.1, have shown positive growth, the agency reported in its biweekly data summary.

Meanwhile, India this week reported its highest levels Covid cases in six months.

On Sunday, the country recorded a single-day jump of 3,824 Covid-19 infections, the biggest in 184 days.

With the sudden spike, the number of active cases in the country increased to 18,389, according to Union Health Ministry data.

Five new fatalities were also reported -- one each from Delhi, Haryana, Kerala and Rajasthan in a span of 24 hours and one was reconciled by Kerala.

Iran, Kuwait, Libya, UAE and Qatar also have reported a proportional surge in Covid-19 cases during the last 28 days, while Indonesia registered a modest rise.