Centre ramps up surveillance after states report COVID sub-variants

The Centre has ramped up COVID surveillance with at least five new sub-variants of the Omicron variant being reported from across the country. Omicron sub-variants like BF.7, BQ.1, XXB (a recombination of BA.2.75 and BJ.1) have been reported from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

While the variants have not caused extreme disease in patients, the Union Health Ministry wants to monitor their behaviour to check for any danger signs ahead.

The ministry on Tuesday reportedly held a meeting with different departments to take stock of the situation and is monitoring rate of hospitalisation, ICU care, and deaths to get a clear picture on the behaviour of these sub-variants.

Maharashtra, which has reported cases of BQ.1, BA.2.3.30 and XBB, has seen a rise in its daily COVID cases in the week starting October 17, compared to the last week.

Genome surveillance so far has revealed that most of these variants are fast moving while XXB has a growth advantage over its parent BA.2.75 and can evade immunity. Scientists, however, are still working to determine the level of infectiousness and severity of these sub-variants.

In view of the upcoming festive season, the state health department has also sounded an alert for residents, asking them not to take flu-like symptoms lightly.

“Seek medical advice at the earliest. Observe COVID appropriate behaviour at public places, vaccination should be completed as per GOI guidelines, people with co-morbidities need to take extra precautions while visiting public places and persons suffering with influenza like illness should avoid public contacts as much as possible,” the health department said in a release on Monday.

The government’s alert to public should be considered a warning in time, considering that China recently saw a spike in its COVID-19 cases soon after the emergence of new sub-variants.

Currently, BF.7 is the most dominant sub-variant that has led to a surge in cases in China. The World Health Organisation predicts the highly infectious sub-variant to become the new dominant strain of the virus worldwide.

On Wednesday, single day cases in India saw a rise of 1,946 infections, taking the tally to 4,46,34,376, while the active cases declined to 25,968. The death toll climbed to 5,28,923 with 10 fatalities, which include six deaths reconciled by Kerala. Of the four new fatalities, two are from Maharashtra and one each from Haryana and West Bengal, data updated by the Union health ministry stated.