Omicron BF.7 subvariant to have little impact on India: Experts
Amid concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron sub-variant BF.7 in China, Indian scientists urged the Centre to bust the misleading information and communicate better about it. The Omicron BF.7 sublineage, they say, is unlikely to impact India severely as it won't be as "furious" here as it is in China. They said the Centre should focus on dispelling myths about its lethality.
Why does this story matter?
The recent spike in coronavirus cases in China has put the Indian government on high alert. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tabled a high-level meeting with experts to review India's COVID-19 situation. India has so far reported four cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7, which is apparently driving the latest surge in COVID-19 infections in China.
Centre must work toward busting misleading information: Ex-ICMR scientist
Dr. Samiran Panda, a former Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) scientist, said the government must work toward busting misleading information about the BF.7 subvariant besides focusing on other preparedness strategies. "There is...panic among people with loads of videos and messages going around on social media platforms and 'WhatsApp University' about the BF.7 variant and symptoms caused by the same," he told News18.
'Omicron BF.7 is fast but not furious'
"They (the government) must communicate that the new variant is fast (in spreading) but not furious (not lethal). The same variant was detected in India with just three-four cases and they all recovered well," Dr. Panda further stated.
Precautions need not give way to panic, says TIGS chief
Meanwhile, Dr. Rakesh Mishra, Director of the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), asserted that precautions need not give way to fear in light of India's present COVID-19 scenario. While allaying the fears and myths about Omicron BF.7 subvariant, he also stated that the strain would not be as problematic for India as it has been for China.
Reasons why Omicron sub-variant BF.7 won't be severe in India
Dr. Mishra highlighted the following significant factors while explaining why BF.7 might not trigger another devastating COVID-19 wave in India: The country has already been through an Omicron wave. Its vaccine coverage is higher compared to China. In contrast to China, the combination of these two aspects provides Indians with hybrid immunity. So, people shouldn't panic, he says, as long as they take precautions.
4 cases of COVID-19 'BF.7' sub-variant found in India
Notably, four cases of Omicron sub-variant BF.7, which is believed to be driving the current spurt of COVID-19 cases in China, were reported in India on Wednesday. The Omicron subvariant first made headlines in October when it replaced the dominant variants in the US and Europe. BF.7, which branched out of BA.5, reportedly has the strongest infection ability since it is highly transmissible.
What do we know about BF.7?
Interestingly, BF.7 is short for BA.5.2.1.7, a sublineage of Omicron's BA.5 subvariant. BA.4 and BA.5 never took hold in India, and the most recent January 2022 wave was, in fact, driven by BA.1 and BA.2 subvariants. Moreover, the reason for its rapid spread in China is not its neutralization resistance or higher transmissibility but the immunologically naive population, as per The Indian Express.
