Uttar Pradesh COVID-19 Update: 5 New Cases In Lucknow; 'Nimbus' Variant NB.1.8.1 Detected In India, Says NIV

Lucknow: The number of COVID-19 infections continues to rise in Lucknow, with five new cases reported on Wednesday. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the city to 43, with 20 active cases currently.

The five new patients include one woman and four men. They are a 54-year-old woman from Krishna Nagar, a from Dilkusha, a from Rana Pratap Marg, a 55-year-old man from New Hyderabad, and a 27-year-old man from Hazratganj. None of these individuals have a known travel history. Health department teams are collecting samples from their family members, and all newly identified patients are currently in home isolation.

In a related development, a new COVID-19 variant, identified as NB.1.8.1 (Nimbus), which has caused new waves of infection in Singapore and Hong Kong, has now been detected in India.

One case each has been confirmed in Pune and Chennai through genome sequencing by the ICMR-NIV in Pune. Both cases exhibit moderate symptoms. The National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune has stated that the new variant does not appear to be more dangerous, and current surveillance indicates no cause for alarm.