Should Indians be worried about Covid's BF.7 variant causing surge in China?

NEW DELHI: India is on high alert after Covid cases around the world, especially in China, rise at alarming rates. The surge in infections in China is attributed to the highly transmissible Omicron strains, mainly BA.5.2 and BF.7. The latter has been found in India as well, which has led to high-level meetings to discuss the country's preparedness for a potential fourth wave. So, the question on everyone's mind is - Should Indians be worried about the fast-spreading BF.7 virus driving infections in China? To understand the situation, Zee News spoke to Dr Micheal Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Programme.

Rise of Covid in China

Dr Ryan said that the Covid vaccine coverage in China was and is low. Many people aged over 60 have not had a full course of vaccination, he said. He further said that while there are several vaccines with three doses, the course has not been properly implemented in China. Even though China is now speeding up its vaccination process, it remains to be seen how this measure will help, Dr. Ryan concluded.

Also Read: Covid-19 fourth wave scare: Omicron sub-variant BF.7 driving surge in China, here are symptoms to watch out for

India's Covid vaccine coverage

According to Dr. Rajesh Pandey, principal scientist at CSIR, if India's large population had not been vaccinated, then this variant of Omicron BF.7 would have proved to be quite dangerous. However, he said, the danger isn't that huge as India even rolled out the booster dose as part of the vaccination drive.

He stated that the standard of vaccination in China is much lower than in India and that Indian vaccines are quite effective and are expected to shield people against BF7.  

Meeting on Covid situation in India

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a meeting on the rising cases on Wednesday (December 21) with senior health officials to discuss India's plan to tackle a possible fourth wave. Soon after the meeting concluded, Mandaviya took to Twitter to share an update with the public.

He informed on Twitter that he has asked all concerned health authorities to maintain vigil and "strengthen surveillance." He assured the public by saying that the country is "prepared to manage any situation."

Several Chief Ministers such as Arvind Kejriwal, Yogi Adityanath and Eknath Shinde will be holding meetings to assess the Covid situations in their states.