India finds 11 omicron subvariants of COVID-19 in international travelers

India detected a total of 11 subvariants of COVID-19 in international travelers who arrived in the country during Dec. 24 to Jan. 3, health ministry sources said on Thursday, adding they were a mix of new and existing variants.

The variants detected were all sub lineages of omicron variant of COVID-19, including the BA.5.2 subvariant and a sub lineage of BF.7 subvariant that were driving China’s recent coronavirus outbreak.

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Hundreds of COVID-19 variants are currently circulating globally, but a handful that are of concern and are being monitored.

Of the 19,227 passengers who were tested for COVID-19 during the period, 124 were found positive, the sources said.

The Indian government has made a COVID-19 negative test mandatory for arrivals from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand.

The new requirement is in addition to the random tests on 2 percent of all international passengers arriving in India.

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