Mumbai reported its first confirmed case of the XE variant of coronavirus on Saturday, the city's civic body BMC said. A 67-year-old man, a resident of Santacruz suburb, has been found positive for the new variant.

But the report about detection of the XE sub-variant in him was received on Friday, he said, adding that the man's current status is not known to the authorities in Vadodara. XE, the latest mutant of Omicron may be more transmissible than the previous ones, the World Health Organization has said. "A man from Santacruz in Mumbai, had tested positive for Covid-19 on March 12 during his visit to Vadodara. His wife was accompanying him," Medical Officer of Health, Vadodara Municipal Corporation, Devesh Patel said.