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This was confirmed by health officials of both states. Gujarat health department officials said the two infected people in Ahmedabad were locals, while the one in Vadodara was an NRI from the US. The cases were recorded in July, September and November, they added.
Genome sequencing to be stepped up: NTAGI chairman says India has no reason to panic
The first two patients had cough and mild fever. No close contacts of the second patient developed any symptoms, the officials added. None of the three close contacts of the third patient too showed any symptoms, said officials. The 57-year-old Odisha woman who was confirmed with BF.7 remained asymptomatic.
Experts said, while the BF.7 sub-variant is responsible for a spike in Covid cases in countries like China, Japan and South Korea, it would take some more time for India to assess its impact.
According to Dr N K Mehra, honorary emeritus scientist of ICMR, BF.7 is a sub-variant of Omicron’s BA.5 strain. “It has a reproduction value of more than 10… meaning, an infected individual can infect at least 10 others,” he said. Mehra, however, added that the new variant’s ability to cause serious illness is not known yet. “In India, most people have hybrid immunity on account of widespread infection and vaccination. I do not think there should be any cause of concern. However, caution is key to dealing with the pandemic that is far from over,” he added.
No rise in Covid cases but we must be vigilant: Ex-AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria
India has hybrid immunity due to widespread natural infection and vaccination, NTAGI chairperson Dr N K Arora said. “There is no reason to panic at all. However, it will be wise to step up genomic surveillance to identify newer variants,” he added.
