The COVID-19 BF.7 variant was initially discovered in India back in July and is thought to be the cause of the recent spike in cases in China.
A brief about Covid 19 cases are increasing in China as a result of the Omicron subvariant BF.7 strain
According to two senior officials who attended a meeting called by Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday and independently confirmed it to The Hindu, four instances of the Omicron subvariant had been detected through genome sequencing in individuals in Gujarat and Odisha in the following months. However, it was not connected to increased severity or infectiousness in those two States.
One of them told The Hindu, “As of now, this [BF.7] is not a cause for concern, but what we should be focusing on is monitoring and that’s what States have been advised to focus on. Both opted not to be named.
The Health Minister called a meeting of senior officials from the Center and the National Covid Task Force to review the situation in India after an increase in coronavirus cases in China caused widespread concern.
“COVID is still going on. I’ve told everyone involved to be vigilant and step up surveillance. “I also encourage individuals to get vaccinated against COVID,” Mr. Mandaviya stated.
According to information released on Wednesday by the State’s Health and Family Welfare department, Omicron BF.7 was found in Odisha in a single sample examined on September 30, 2022. It was neither a VOC (Variant of Concern) nor VOI at the time of testing (Variant of Interest). No more BF.7 samples have been found in Odisha in the three months since it was added.
Cases on the decline
India has reported a “steady drop” in cases, with daily averages of roughly 158 in the week ending December 19. Globally, however, there has been an increase in daily average cases in the last six weeks, with almost 6 lakh cases reported weekly as of December 19, according to a statement from the Health Ministry. “A novel and highly transmissible BF.7 strain of the Omicron variety has been discovered to be at the root of a larger spike of covid infections in China,” the report continued.
In India, the main variety is currently Omicron AB5 (which is connected to BF.7), albeit this is based on extremely low numbers. According to government officials involved in India’s COVID-19 management strategy, the increase in China was primarily due to that country’s “zero COVID policy,” which had been in effect since 2020 before being modified last month. They believe that as a result, a substantial number of people who had never been exposed to variations like Alpha and Delta are now infected with the Omicron subvariant.
