Covid: No rise in hospitalisation or deaths, says govt

March 23, 2023 19:17

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Amid a gradual rise in daily COVID-19 cases, the Union health ministry said on Thursday that the XBB.1.16 subvariant of Omicron might be the dominant virus strain in the country but there has been no reported increase in the rate of hospitalisation or death so far.

Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said 344 samples have tested positive in the last three months -- January, February and March -- for XBB.1.16 after whole genome sequencing.

The subvariant has been found in states such as Maharashtra (105), Telangana (93), Karnataka (57), Gujarat (54) and Delhi (19).

"Omicron and its sub-lineages continue to be the predominant variant. No evidence of an increase in hospitalisation and/or mortality has been reported," Bhushan said.

He said XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16 are variants of interest and under intense scientific scrutiny but they are not a "cause of immediate concern".

India has reported an uptick in daily coronavirus cases over the past week.

Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala and Karnataka are among the states reporting a rise in the cases, according to the health ministry.

On Thursday, the health ministry data showed the country recorded 1,300 new coronavirus cases, the highest in 140 days.

It showed that the active cases in the country have increased to 7,605.

On March 13, India reported 444 new COVID-19 cases while the active cases stood at 3,809. -- PTI

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