Centre sounds Covid alert

New Delhi/Hyderabad: The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday emphasised on the need by all states to take precautionary measures like use of masks in crowded places and maintaining safe distance and taking booster shot of Covid vaccine particularly by senior citizens.

Though three cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7, apparently the strain driving China's current surge of Covid cases, have been detected in India, Niti Ayog member V K Paul said if proper precautions were taken, then there would not be any threat to India from this variant. But those with comorbidities and old should especially adhere to Covid norms," Paul said

Official sources said the first case of BF.7 in India was detected in October in Gujarat by the state Biotechnology Research Centre. Since the cases of new subvariants of Omicron have emerged yet again, it is crucial to take precautions especially ahead of Christmas and Sankranti celebrations, the sources said.

BF.7 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant BA.5 and has the strongest infection ability since it is highly transmissible and has a shorter incubation period. It has a higher capacity to cause reinfection or infect even those vaccinated.

Hence it has been decided that random sample testing for coronavirus will be conducted at airports for international passengers arriving from China and other countries in view of the recent surge in cases in some parts of the world, the sources said on Wednesday.

The move comes following a meeting chaired by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to review the Covid situation in the country. After the meeting, Mandaviya said, "Covid-19 is not over yet. We are prepared to manage any situation."

In the meantime, many states have reviewed the Covid-19 preparedness. Gujarat Health Minister Rishikesh Patel instructed to increase the testing of those who come from foreign countries. The Maharashtra government decided to immediately set up a Task Force to monitor the situation. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the same in state Assembly on Wednesday. West Bengal Health officials said the state is ready to tackle any fresh contagion wave.

But so far, the two Telugu states -- Telangana and Andhra Pradesh -- have not reacted. On the other hand, Telangana Medical and Health Director G Srinivas Rao made a sensational comment that Jesus Christ has saved the world from Covid crisis.

The Symptoms

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.

3 cases of BF.7 variant found in India so far

Three cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7, apparently the strain driving China's current surge of Covid cases, have been detected in India so far, official sources said Wednesday. BF.7 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant BA.5 and has the strongest infection ability since it is highly transmissible, has a shorter incubation period, and a higher capacity to cause reinfection or infect even those vaccinated. The first case of BF.7 in India was detected in October by Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre. So far, two cases have been reported from Gujarat and one from Odisha, they said.

China under grip of O BF.7

Chinese cities are currently hit by the highly transmissible Omicron strain, mostly BF.7 which is the main variant spreading in Beijing and is contributing to a wider surge of Covid infections in that country. "The BF.7's high transmissibility in China might be attributed to a low level of immunity in the Chinese population from the previous infection and possibly vaccination too," an official source said. It has already been detected in several other countries, including the US, the UK and European nations such as Belgium, Germany, France and Denmark.

India restarts Covid tests for foreign arrivals

New Delhi: Random sample testing for coronavirus will be conducted at airports for international passengers arriving from China and other countries in view of the recent surge in cases in some parts of the world. "Random sample testing will be done for international air passengers arriving from various countries including China," a source said.