“Currently, the corona virus is having a new mutation and in the form of COVID BF.7 is a variant of Omicron. This variant was found to infect in China and is highly transmissible. It is very contagious to others. It is reported to be highly contagious to humans. It is also suspected that 60% of people in China will be infected with this variant within the next three months. It is a scenario. “Somewhere and with people traveling around the world, this disease can spread worldwide by air travel,” said Dr. Gupta.
According to Dr. Charu Dutt Arora, Consultant Physician and Chief Infectious Disease Specialist, Ameri Health, Asia Hospital, Faridabad, the recent increase of positive cases of COVID-19 infection in China , Japan, Hong Kong, Brazil and the United States have generated interest around the world, including India. He said the tweet by Eric Dengi, an epidemiologist from China saying that “this virus could lead to the death of millions across China in the next few months” was worrying. .
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Vaccination helps prevent COVID-19 infection
The Omicron virus BF.5.2.1.7, commonly known as BF.7, is the cause of the COVID-19 outbreak in China. It is the most transmissible Omicron mutant of any COVID-19 variant to date. According to studies, the R0 value of this mutation is around 10-18.6, implying that each infected individual can infect 10-18.6 people around. This virus also has a faster infection rate, measured in hours, making it difficult to detect in RT-PCR tests. People who have not been vaccinated or have weakened immunity, such as the elderly, young children, pregnant women, or people with certain comorbidities (cancer, uncontrolled diabetes, disease heart or kidneys), have a higher risk of contracting this virus.
According to Dr. Amitabha Ghosh, Consultant, Internal Medicine, Manipal Hospital, Gurugram, the new variant, although not lethal, is more contagious than previous Omicron variants.
COVID-19 booster shot may help
“Like the other variants of Omicron, BF.7 is also another sub-variant with a very fast transmission rate. According to some data, the mortality rate of this variant is not high but it certainly transmits fast. In India, there are very few deaths and hospitalizations but it also depends on various factors including a person’s immunity and pre-existing comorbidities first,” said Dr. Ghosh.
While the symptoms are modest, Dr. Gupta estimates that this wave will kill a million people in China alone. He believes a fourth dose of the vaccine could help prevent these deaths.
Symptoms of Variant Omicron BF.7
“Symptoms remain the same as with any other upper respiratory tract infection such as fever, cough, sore throat and runny nose. It is suspected that this wave could kill a million people in China alone. It is also possible that if people get three or four shots of the vaccine, they can be protected. Therefore, it is very important that people be more vigilant and more responsive in getting the COVID vaccine. -19. A fourth vaccine can help prevent this terrible and serious situation.A person infected with this virus, even if they have no symptoms, can still transmit the virus to 10-18. Only time will tell, what will happen in the next few months, but we should stay vigilant, take COVID-19-appropriate behaviors seriously and avoid traveling as much as possible, ‘ said Dr. Gupta.
“Common symptoms include the common cold, fever, fatigue, sore throat, headache, and body aches. Infected patients also have cough and respiratory symptoms. People also have symptoms. abdominal symptoms such as stomach pain and loose stools,” said the doctor. .Arora.
“The signs and symptoms of BF.7 are quite similar to other Omicron variants such as fever, sore throat, runny nose. Cases of pneumonia with BF.7 variant are less common and these cases are more common in humans. Dr Trupti Gilada, infectious disease specialist, at Masina Hospital, Mumbai, said: “We don’t see too many hospital admissions with Omicron and initial data from countries who are witnessing BF.7 also tell us that mortality from BF.7 is low.”
Precautions to Avoid the Spread of Omicron BS.7
To avoid infection, Dr Ghosh recommends maintaining proper hygiene, wearing a mask and washing your hands. He states that people with low immunity should be extremely cautious and that vaccines and booster doses can help reduce mortality and problems caused by sub-variants.
“So far it is not clear which age group it affects most, but it is certain that people with low immunity are at higher risk. Also, people are now more exposed to COVID. -19 and its variants, they will automatically develop Dr. Ghosh said: “With the help of vaccines and booster shots, humans can now deal with the virus in a consistent manner. better way, and that helped prevent complications of sub-variants.”
“It is imperative that everyone follow the rules and appropriate behavior for COVID-19 set by local authorities to control the spread. With restrictions eased around the world and season. With the festival going in full swing, it’s important to continue the mass vaccination campaign Trial- Dr Arora said: Track-Treat-Vaccine is the most important strategy to check for transmission infection and its outbreak in the community. “In the future, the yardstick to measure the severity of the COVID-19 wave should not be just a handful of cases as most of these cases will be in the range of severity. light. The measure should now be the number of moderate to severe cases of people who need oxygen or who need to be hospitalized. Therefore, public health action needs to be based on serious infections because mild infections are common every time a new mutation occurs. And India has paid the price with the Delta wave, where we have lost a lot of people and so have our survivors with good immunity to COVID-19 and our very good vaccination status. So for India, we have a relatively immune population and those who will be infected with BF.7 in the future will be mild while we follow Dr. Gilada said:
Source: Medindia
