Covid advisory again: Random test at airports, try to use mask
Sources in Delhi said two cases of the Omicron sub-variant BF.7, which is reported to be driving the surge in China, have been detected in India so far — the first in Odisha in September, and the second in Gujarat in November.
Health officials in India on Wednesday advised citizens to take necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus within India. (Photo: Twitter/@mansukhmandviya)
Reviewing the situation in India in view of rising cases in China and some other countries, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday urged people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, including wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, washing hands frequently, and getting vaccinated. He also directed officials to “fully gear up and strengthen surveillance”.
Explained |What is BF.7, the Omicron sub-variant driving the surge in China?
Official sources said random testing of international passengers on arrival will start again. It had stopped after a revision in travel advisories in November-end. Prior to that, 2% of international passengers were being randomly tested at airports.
Sources in Delhi said two cases of the Omicron sub-variant BF.7, which is reported to be driving the surge in China, have been detected in India so far — the first in Odisha in September, and the second in Gujarat in November. “The cases were detected a while back and haven’t spread so far. It is likely to be similar to other variants that were on the watch list for other countries but resulted in marginal increase in cases in India,” said a senior official.
In Gujarat, officials said two cases of the sub-variant had been reported — in Vadodara in September, and in Ahmedabad in November — and both patients have since recovered.
A press release issued by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation said a 61-year-old woman, who had arrived from the US on September 11 this year, had tested positive for the sub-variant. “The patient had taken three doses of the Pfizer vaccine and was in home isolation,” it said.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation said a 57-year-old man, who had arrived from Australia on November 11, had tested positive for the sub-variant. “He was asymptomatic. He returned to Australia on November 21. All his family members were also asymptomatic at that time,” said Dr Bhavin Solanki, medical officer.)
In Odisha, the sub-variant was found in the sample of a woman from Khordha district who got tested before travelling to the US.
The parent sub-variant BA.5 accounted for 2.5% of all the samples sequenced in India in November, according to data from the country’s Sars-CoV-2 genome sequencing consortium INSACOG. To keep an eye on any emerging variants, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to all states and UTs on Tuesday, asking them to sequence all positive samples on a daily basis.
