New Delhi: Corona epidemic is being seen in China. After almost two years, Corona has returned with its new variant, more brutal. There is a continuous increase in the number of cases of Covid BF.7 in China. This variant is estimated to have been active in 91 countries for the past two years.
As of February 2021, 91 countries have variants matching the genetic make-up and mutation profile of BF.7, according to data released by Scripps Research Institute. An Insacog scientist said that this variant was named BF.7 and was added to the BA.5 Omicron lineage in May 2022, so it can be said that this variant is a part of the Omicron variant itself.
Virologists, epidemiologists and infectious diseases experts told TOI that they do not understand the meaning of the new alarm on BF.7 as the prevalence of the variant in sequenced samples has been 0.5% worldwide. The variant has been found in only 47,881 sequenced patient samples worldwide since it was identified on February 26 last year, an Insacog official said.
“Despite the presence of the variant in the last 22 months in many countries, BF.7 has not seen as much increase in Covid-19 cases compared to Omicron sub-lineages such as XBB and BQ.1.1. The cumulative prevalence rate of BF.7 is 0.5% worldwide, indicating that it has limited growth potential. So experts claim that it is undesirable to be afraid of this variant. But it is spreading fast. So its risk is also increasing.
Amidst the outbreak of Corona in China, this variant has also reached India. The BF.7 variant has been confirmed in two patients in Gujarat and one in Odisha. After this the Ministry of Health has announced an advisory. It has been said that all states should conduct maximum genome sequencing of corona infected patients, so that variants can be detected. Apart from this, it has also been advised to wear masks in public places. Random checking of passengers coming from abroad has also been ordered at the airport.
Which type is more dangerous in India?
The January 2022 wave of corona in India came from Omicron’s BA.1 and BA.2 sub-variants. However, its other sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 did not become as effective in India as they were in Europe. So far only three cases of BF.7 have been reported in India. According to data from India’s National SARS-CoV-2 Genome Sequencing Network, the BA.5 variant accounted for only 2.5 percent of cases in November. Currently the recombinant variant XBB is the most common in India. This type was responsible for 65.6 percent of the cases in November. Let us tell you that the effect of the new variant is very less seen in the person who has taken the vaccine and booster dose. Due to the lack of vaccination and booster doses in China, the new variant of Corona has created havoc.
What to know about BF.7
When viruses mutate they create their own types and subtypes. For example, SARS-CoV-2 is the main strain of the virus and has spread in different variants and sub-variants. BF.7 is also equivalent to BA.5.2.1.7, a sub variant of Omicron. The BF.7 sub-variant has 4.4 times higher neutralization resistance than the original D614G variant. This means that the antibodies present in the body of vaccinated people have much less ability to destroy BF.7 compared to the corona virus that spread around the world in 2020.
Features of the BF.7 variant
The features of this variant are similar to other subvariants of Omicron. An infected person may show symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea. This subvariant can cause severe disease in people with weakened immune systems. The BF.7 sub-variant is the most infectious of all others known so far in its class. It is believed that this strain is spreading very quickly and can infect even people who have received the vaccine. Scientists suspect that the BF.7 sub-variant has a reproduction number ie R of 10 to 18.6. This means that a person infected with BF.7 can infect 10 to 18.6 people with corona.