XBB.1.16 variant not lethal but highly contagious: expert
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New Delhi: A senior doctor in Delhi opined that at least 98 per cent of the samples collected from Covid-19 infected patients have traces of the XBB.1.16 variant. He added that though the variant is less lethal, it's very contagious, NDTV reported.
On Wednesday, the number of fresh cases reported reached 509 cases, breaking the 25 per cent mark of daily positivity rate.
Doctor SK Sarin, Director of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), told NDTV that despite the rise in infections, the number of fatalities has been low. Cough and cold are the common symptoms detected in patients infected by the variant, he said.
However, he warned people with comorbidities and who are overweight to take precautions to avoid contracting the virus. He advised people to take boosted doses of vaccination if they are yet to.
Those who were infected with the variant might face complications with the lung, heart, kidneys and brain for a long time.
While the country faces a sharp increase in H3N2 influenza cases, Delhi registered a particular uptick in fresh Covid-19 cases. The positivity rate in the national capital has reached 26.54 per cent, which is the highest in 15 months. It was January last year, positivity rate touched 30 per cent there.
The country registered 5,335 fresh cases on Thursday, a 20 per cent increase from the day before. It is the first time since September 23 daily cases breaching the 5,000 mark in the country.