New Omicron subvariant detected in India - Here’s all you need to know about the new variants causing Covid 19

• India detected the first case of an Omicron subvariant BQ.1 in Pune on Tuesday.
  
• One case of the new Omicron subvariant BF.7 was also detected by Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre on October 14.
  
• The Omicron subvariant BF.7 was reported first in the Inner Mongolia region of China.
  
• Doctors ask Indians not to let their guard down, despite India recording lowest Covid cases in the past 6 months.
  

With Diwali less than a week away, two new sub variants of Omicron called BF.7 and BQ.1 have been detected in India even as the country recorded the lowest number of Covid-19 cases in six months.

On Tuesday, India recorded a single-day rise of 1,542 coronavirus infections – the lowest in six months. Active cases comprise 0.06% of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.76%, the health ministry said, according to PTI.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.68% while the weekly positivity rate was 1.02%, according to the health ministry.

How will the new variants affect the above numbers?

New variants

Called the ‘Omicron spawn’ by experts, one case of the new Omicron subvariant BF.7 was detected by Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre on October 14.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also released a warning against the highly infectious BF.7 – first discovered in China’s Inner Mongolia region. It is said to have caused the recent surge of cases that has led to severe lockdown restrictions in that country.

On Tuesday, India detected the first case of another Omicron subvariant BQ.1 in Pune, Maharashtra. BQ.1 and B.Q.1.1 originated from Omicron’s subvariant BA.5, which causes 60% of Covid cases in the US today.

Is there a cause for worry in India?

In light of the detection of the variant BQ.1 in India, Maharashtra state surveillance officer Pradeep Awate has asked high-risk patients to undergo vaccinations and not ignore any flu-like symptoms. More details for the symptoms of the Omicron subvariant BQ.1 are awaited.

The BF.7 symptoms are deafness, loss of smell and taste, chest pain, fatigue, sore throat and runny nose. The subvariant also evades antibodies against Covid.

Since these variants are evading immunity and have high transmission capability, doctors in India are asking Indians to exercise caution.

"The next two to three weeks are crucial. Covid-19 is still around, and new variants are being reported in different parts of the world. Obviously, we cannot remain unscathed from them. So, we need to be careful as festivals are a few days ahead," Dr N.K. Arora, chairman, National Technical Advisory Group of Immunization (NTAGI) told Mint.

Experts advise people to wear masks in public places and avoid big gatherings as much as possible.

The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) scientists are meeting this week ahead of Diwali to discuss the threat that the Omicron subvariant poses to India. INSACOG has 54 laboratories set up to monitor the variant of Covid-19 virus.

India has previously also reported other variants like Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, B.1.6, Omicron, XE, XJ, XBB to name a few. The country has reported over 44.6 million Covid cases till date.

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