Maharashtra has so far recorded 91 cases of the KP.2 variant of Omicron, including 51 in Pune, the health department said on Monday.
State’s genome sequencing coordinator, Dr Rajesh Karyakarte, said this is in addition to JN.1, KP.2 and KP.1.1 sub-variants of Omicron that have been recorded in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra identified KP.2 cases as early as January. By March and April, it became the dominant strain in the region. However, there hasn’t been any proportionate increase in hospitalizations or serious cases, said Dr Rajesh Karyakarte.
He said both KP.2 and KP.1.1 are sub-lineages of JN.1.
Thane has recorded 20 cases of KP.2 sub-variant of Omicron, seven each in Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, two in Solapur and one each in Sangli, Latur, Ahmednagar and Nashik, he added.
According to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), as of May 6, there have been 232 cases of the KP.2 variant and 30 cases of the KP1.1 variant detected across India.
The health department said Maharashtra on Monday recorded six new cases of COVID-19 with three each in Mumbai and Pune city.