Odisha reported BF.7 variant of Covid-19 in Sept

BHUBANESWAR: Long before concern was raised globally about Omicron sub-variant BF.7, said to be behind the current surge in Covid cases in China, Odisha had reported the strain in September. Though no such cases were reported since, the state government has stepped up surveillance in view of the Centre’s latest advisory.
Health secretary Shalini Pandit said Omicron BF.7 Covid sub-variant was detected in Odisha in a single sample tested on September 30. At the time of testing, it was neither a variant of concern nor variant of interest. Ever since, no other sample of BF.7 has been detected in Odisha. “We are, however, keeping a close watch on the situation and stepping up surveillance activities,” Pandit said.
Official sources said RT-PCR testing of the woman, whose genome sequencing later turned out to be BF.7, was done on her demand. The woman in her 30s was asymptomatic at the time of testing. She got tested for her travel to the USA. She and her family are in the USA since October. None of them have flu-like symptoms since their departure from India.
The Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) of the ICMR had carried out genome sequencing of the sample later. BF.7, short for BA 5.2.1.7, a sub-lineage of BA.5, is the dominant strain in the ongoing Covid-19 wave in China.
On Wednesday, the health secretary wrote to the medical colleges and chief district medical and public health officers of all 30 districts to increase surveillance and whole genome sequencing (WGS) of all the positive cases to track the variants through the pan-India INSACOG (Indian SARS Cov-2 Genomics Consortium) network of laboratories. The hospitals have been asked to send samples to RMRC and Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, as and when they find positive cases. The government has asked the district authorities to ensure testing, tracking, treatment, contact tracing, vaccination and Covid-appropriate behaviour.
Doctors feel the situation in India is quite different and there may not be much reason to worry from the spurt in China. Prasanta R Mohapatra, a professor of pulmonary medicine at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, said unlike China, India may be reaping the benefits of hybrid immunity the country has got from an excellent vaccination drive and natural infections.