Following the scare in Maharashtra, Gujarat, on Saturday, confirmed the detection of the XE variant of Covid-19 in a patient who had tested positive for the virus a month ago, the additional chief secretary of the state’s health department said.
The additional chief secretary Manoj Aggarwal confirmed that the XE variant was detected in a 67-year-old man who had travelled to Vadodara from Mumbai and had tested positive during his stay at a hotel on March 12.
“Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre detected the XE variant in the patient 12 days ago. The sample was sent for confirmation as per INSACOG guidelines, to a Kolkata laboratory (DBT- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani). The confirmation report of the XE variant was received Friday night. We are getting more details and trying to trace his close contacts,” Aggarwal informed.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Dr Devesh Patel, the Medical Officer for Health at Vadodara, said: “The patient was a 67-year-old man from Mumbai, who, along with his wife, was visiting Vadodara. They had checked into a hotel on arrival and the man had developed symptoms like fever. They took a Covid-19 test and when the results came positive, they returned to Mumbai and were under strict home quarantine there. He did not meet anyone in Vadodara.”
