With Diwali less than a week away, two new sub-variants of Omicron called BF.7 and BQ.1 has been detected in India even as the country recorded the lowest number of Covid-19 cases in six months.
On Tuesday, India recorded a single-day rise of 1,542 coronavirus infections – the lowest in six months. Active cases comprise 0.06% of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.76%, the health ministry said, according to PTI.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.68%, while the weekly positivity rate was 1.02%, according to the health ministry
Experts called it the ‘Omicron spawn’, but Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre detected one case of the new Omicron subvariant BF.7 on October 14.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) also warned against the highly infectious BF.7 – first discovered in China’s Inner Mongolia region. It is said to have caused the recent surge of cases that have led to severe lockdown restrictions in that country.
On Tuesday, India detected the first case of another Omicron subvariant BQ.1 in Pune, Maharashtra. BQ.1 and B.Q.1.1 originated from Omicron’s subvariant BA.5, which causes 60% of Covid cases in the US today
Is there a cause for worry in India?
In light of the detection of variant BQ.1 in India, Maharashtra state surveillance officer Pradeep Awate has asked high-risk patients to undergo vaccinations and not ignore any flu-like symptoms. More details for the signs of the Omicron subvariant BQ.1 are awaited
The BF.7 symptoms are deafness, loss of smell and taste, chest pain, fatigue, sore throat and runny nose. The subvariant also evades antibodies against Covid.
Since these variants evade immunity and have high transmission capability, doctors in India are asking Indians to exercise caution.
“The next two to three weeks are crucial. Covid-19 is still around, and new variants are being reported in different parts of the world. We cannot remain unscathed from them. So, we must be careful as festivals are a few days ahead,” Dr N.K. Arora, chairman National Technical Advisory Group of Immunization (NTAGI), told Mint.
Experts advise people to wear masks in public places and avoid big gatherings as much as possible.
The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) scientists are meeting this week before Diwali to discuss the Omicron subvariant’s threat to India. INSACOG has 54 laboratories set up to monitor the variant of the Covid-19 virus