Omicron Subvariant BF.7 Detected in October, 3 New Cases Reported Now

New Delhi: India has detected three cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7 which is currently the dominant variant of Covid in China, PTI reported on Wednesday. Two cases have been reported from Gujarat while one case from Odisha, official sources said. 

According to official sources, the first case of BF.7 in India was detected in October by Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre. 

Earlier in the day, the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a Covid review meeting in which health experts called for stepping up surveillance and monitoring for existing and emerging variants. 

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 has a higher capacity to cause reinfection or infect even those vaccinated.

The new variant has been detected in several other countries, including the US, the UK and European nations such as Belgium, Germany, France and Denmark. 

Due to Omicron BF.7, the Covid situation is worsening in China. Several reports and videos shared on social media have highlighted a surge in Covid infections, overwhelming hospitals and piling up bodies in morgues. It is reported that more people are falling sick in China because the government inoculated its population with its home-grown Covid vaccines which according to reports are only about 60 percent effective against the severe infections. 

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