436 cases of XBB1.16.1 mutated sub-variant found in India: INSACOG

New Delhi: Amid rising COVID cases in India, 436 cases of XBB1.16.1 mutated sub-variant have been detected in the country till now, revealed Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) data on Monday. XBB1.16.1 is a mutation of Omicron's infectious XBB1.16 variant. The XBB 1.16 variant was first found in January when two samples tested positive for the variant.

Till now, 436 cases of the subvariant have been found across 18 states and Union Territories, including Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, and Haryana, according to INSACOG data accessed by a news agency.

The INSACOG data has shown that 2,735 cases of the XBB1.16 variant have been found in a total of 24 states and Union Territories.

India has recorded 9,111 new coronavirus infections, while active cases have increased to 60,313, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

The INSACOG bulletin of March 27 said an increase in infection rate has been observed, especially in western, southern, and northern parts of India.

Among the samples collected till the third week of March, XBB continued to be the most commonly circulating Omicron sub-lineages, the bulletin said.

The INSACOG reports genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 by whole genome sequencing of samples from sentinel sites across the country and international passengers arriving in India.