India Restarts Covid Vaccine As Variant Drives Production Infections Up 30% In A Day

India is ramping up its vaccine production following a rapid surge in Covid-19 cases driven by a new subvariant dubbed Arcturus

- Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The country recorded 10,158 news Covid cases yesterday, a 30 per cent surge in one day, according to the federal health ministry data.

The XBB.1.16 strain, a sub-variant of Omicron, has been found in 22 countries, including Singapore, Australia, the UK and the US. It is believed to be responsible for the uptick in infections in India and seems to exhibit unique symptoms in children, one of which is conjunctivitis.

Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine producer, has restarted the manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines, the chief executive Adar Poonawalla said. The Pune-based company produces AstraZeneca vaccines under the label Covishield, which constitutes at least 70 per cent of the Covid vaccines administered in the country.