Over 1,300 samples of Omicron sub-variant XBB2.3 found in India: INSACOG

More than 1,300 samples of Omicron sub-variant XBB2.3 have been detected in India, while XBB.1.16 has become the dominant strain in the country, according to INSACOG data.

The samples of XBB2.3 have been found across 24 states and union territories. At 307, the highest number of samples was found in Gujarat, followed by 183 in Delhi, 178 in Karnataka and 164 in Maharashtra, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) data stated.

XBB1.16 sub-variant has been found in 91.7 per cent of samples in central India, 100 per cent in northeast India, 52.8 per cent in north India, 50 per cent in east India, 75 per cent in south India and 67.1 per cent in west India, it showed.

XBB.2.3 seems to be growing across the world, with the earliest samples found in mid-December in Karnataka and Delaware in the US. So, the origin is somewhat unclear, a senior scientist said.

Also, the domination of the XBB recombinant variant and its sub-lineages is almost complete in India, with XBB1.16 becoming the dominant strain in most of the country, he said.