Drills test India’s COVID 19 Preparedness
- April 11, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Drills test India’s COVID 19 Preparedness
Subject: Science and technology
Section: Biotechnology
Concept :
- India began a two-day COVIDĀ 19 preparedness drill , amid the continuing surge in cases.
- A senior Health Ministry official said the drill was aimed at reviewing and ensuring proper arrangements for testing and treatment of patients.
- Drills were conducted at all major government and private hospitals across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, and Mumbai.
- The Ministry said the spike in cases witnessed recently could be attributed to the newly emerged recombinant coronavirus variant XBB.1.16.
SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.16 Lineage
- An Omicron variant of the coronavirus namely XBB.1.16, which is a recombinant virus of Omicron has been attributed to a recent spike in covid cases in India.
How is XBB.1.16 Lineage Cause for Concern?
- The XBB.1.16 variant has been detected in around 14 countries across the world and the earliest sequence of this lineage originated in a viral genome detected in NewYork.
- The 1.16 lineage evolved from the XBB lineage and is a recombinant lineage of the SARS-COV2 virus.
- XBB is an Omicron sublineage and it is currently the most prevalent one among the Omicron variants.
- The 1.16 lineage also has various mutations and initial data suggest that this variant has a superior advantage when compared with other SARS-CoV-2 lineages including XBB.1.5 lineage.
- In the middle of an uptick in seasonal influenza H3N2 cases, there is also a spike in COVID-19 cases in March 2023 despite a low number of tests conducted.
- The total number of cases increased to 6000 in India and XBB.1.16 lineage is considered to be the reason behind the spike in cases.
- Genomic surveillance data also reveals that XBB.1.16 accounts for more than 30% of all sequenced genomes in march 2023 and its share of infection is increasing.
- Preliminary data suggest that there is no difference in clinical severity between XBB.1.16 and other Omicron variants, but there is a chance of a higher risk of reinfection with XBB.1.16 lineage due to its fast-growing ability.
- Hence it is important to monitor the spread of this XBB.1.16 lineage if the Covid-19 cases continue to increase.