Nepal on Sunday confirmed the infection of Omicron’s new sub-variant XBB.

The XBB, a recombinant lineage between two Omicron sublineages BJ.1 and BA.2.75, has been taken as a fast-spreading variant. The subvariant caused a spike in coronavirus cases in Singapore recently and has also been reported in India.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, whole-genome sequencing carried out on swab samples of coronavirus-infected persons collected between August 6 to September 30 confirmed the infection of the new sub-variant.

Whole-genome sequencing is a comprehensive method of analysing the entire DNA sequence of an organism’s genes. Researchers say that whole-genome sequencing of coronavirus could be instrumental in tracking the severity and properties of the virus.

Concerns have also grown in Nepal of late, as another new sub-variant of Omicron BF.7, dubbed ultra-infectious, has been detected in India.

Nepal has reported almost all variants and sub-variant of Covid-19 seen across the globe.

So far, 12,018 deaths have been reported from Covid-19 in the country, according to the official count. On Sunday, 41 people tested positive for the virus—39 in 445 polymerase chain reaction tests and two in 805 antigen tests.

The Health Ministry said that 22,324,933 people or 76.5 percent of the total population have been fully vaccinated. The number of people taking booster shots stands at 7,972,791 as of now.