India reports 3 cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7, driving China’s Covid surge; one detected in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: India so far reported three cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7, apparently the strain driving China’s current surge of Covid cases. One of the three cases has been detected in Odisha.

The three cases, which have been detected in the country so far, belong to two states – Gujarat and Odisha. While two cases have been reported from Gujarat, one case was found in Odisha.

It is to be noted here that country’s first case of BF.7 was detected by Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre in October this year.

According to official, Omicron BF.7 Covid sub-variant was detected in Odisha, in a single sample tested on 30 September 2022. The RT-PCR testing of this was done on demand, for a female of Khurdha district.

The Bhubaneswar-based Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) did the genome sequencing for this sample. At the time of testing, it was neither a VOC (Variant of Concern) or VOI (Variant of Interest). The lady tested was asymptomatic at time of test. She got tested for her travel to USA. She and her family are in the USA since October. None of them has any flu like symptoms since their departure from India.

In the 3 months since, no other sample of BF.7 has been detected in Odisha.

According to health experts, the BF.7 is the new variant which quickly bypasses the immunity that a person has developed through a natural infection with an earlier variant or even if the complete course of the vaccines are taken.

Due to this, there is an expectation that the world might see a fourth wave of the pandemic.

This new Omicron variant was first detected in China and India has seen its first case of this variant in Gujarat.

Initially in the pandemic, the virus mutated several times and the WHO declared the Delta variant as the most severe one.

The symptoms of the new BF.7 sub-variant are similar to common flu and include cold, cough, fever, body pain, etc. As it is highly transmittable, it spreads to a larger group of people within a short duration.

It is important to be careful in the public places since we do see that people have become a little careless as many of the norms and the rules that are put forth during Covid-19 have been lifted, say experts.

So, it is now important that we at least follow the basic measures, they add.