Pan-Indian network of labs that monitor covid variations to hold meet for 'Eris'
Insacog (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium), the pan-India network of laboratories set up to monitor genomic variations of the coronavirus, will hold a review meeting this Friday, amid an upsurge in Covid-19 infection in other countries, people in the know told ET. In India, cases have been reported from Delhi, Karnataka and Maharashtra, but there has been no significant upsurge, one of the people said. «There has not been any clustering or unusual increase in the number of cases,» he added.
India reported 57 cases of Covid in the last 24 hours, as per government data. While the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared EG.5.1 a variant of interest, experts in India say it is unlikely to result in any surges of cases here. However, surveillance is the key, an expert said.
Anurag Agrawal, former head of Insacog and chair of WHO's Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution, said periodic increases in cases will be seen as immunity declines and more immune-escape mutations develop. «So far nothing radical. But the risk of radically new variants with new risks remains, so surveillance should continue,» he said.
A member of Insacog said no clustering had been seen, «but we are keeping a strict vigil». He said the XBB sub variant continues to be the dominant variant circulating in the country, accounting for 90-92% of the cases. EG.5.1, which has descended from the rapidly spreading Omicron, was first flagged in the UK last month and is now spreading across the world including China and the US.
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