India Reports 68 COVID Deaths; Active Cases Surge Over 6,800

The corona uproar continues in India. Corona patients are dying every day. So far 68 corona patients have died. At the same time, the number of active cases has crossed 6800. On an average, about 4-5 patients are dying every day. At the same time, more than 400 new cases of corona are coming in the country every day. On Saturday, 2 more corona patients died in Karnataka. In the last 8 days, 3045 cases of corona have increased in the country. The number of active cases has reached 6815. 324 new cases have been reported in the last 24 hours. Kerala has the highest number of 2053 cases.

According to the Health Department, 68 patients have died in 12 states due to new variants of corona. On Monday, 1 patient each lost their lives in Kerala, Delhi and Jharkhand. Maharashtra has the highest number of deaths at 18. On Monday, 6 new cases including 3 doctors were reported in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. Since then, the district administration and health department are on high alert. There are currently 43 active cases in MP.

Amidst the increasing cases of Corona, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee held a meeting with officials of all major departments of the state on Monday. Mamata said - Hopefully the epidemic does not return again, but we have to be prepared. There is a complete arrangement for treatment in the government hospitals of the state, so people do not need to panic.

Apart from Omicron's sub-variant JN.1, there are other new variants in India which are the reason for the increase in infection. According to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), 163 cases of the newly emerging XFG variant have also been found in India so far. It is also very important to know how much risk can be caused by this new variant so that its seriousness can be understood.

What is the XFG variant?

The XFG variant is a descendant of the Omicron sub-variant, which was first detected in Canada. Originating from LF.7 and LP.8.1.2, the XFG variant has four main spike mutations (His445Arg, Asn487Asp, Gln493Glu, and Thr572Ile). Research says that it has spread rapidly across the world. The XFG variant also has the ability to evade strong immunity which gives the virus a way to survive and spread as it can manage to escape the body's natural defense system.

According to the latest data from INSACOG: Maharashtra has reported the highest number of XFG cases (89). It is followed by Tamil Nadu (16), Kerala (15), Gujarat (11), and Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal (6 each). Of these, the majority of cases (159) were reported in May 2024, while 2 cases each were reported in April and June.