NEW DELHI: Amid rising Covid-19 cases globally, especially in China, India’s top virologist Dr Gagandeep Kang said on Friday that India is doing fine as both Omcricon sub-variants XBB and BF.7, which have been in India for a while, have not driven an upsurge.
“At the moment, India is doing fine. We have a few cases, we have had the XBB & BF.7 for a while, and they have not driven an upsurge in India. In the absence of an even more highly infectious variant, I do not expect a surge,” she said in a series of tweets, in which she addressed various concerns and fears, from the situation in China, and India, booster doses, wearing of masks and travel plans.
“But will we be able to detect a new variant or a surge? We have ample sequencing capacity & if sequencing is done in real-time, we absolutely can. When hospitals begin to see severe cases, we will know. Need to & can understand & measure both the virus & the disease,” she added.
The professor of the Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences at the Christian Medical College in Vellore said, “in India.., we already have XBB and BF.7 (the two being hyped as new monsters). They are, like all Omicron sub-variants, very good at infecting people because they escape the immune response that prevents infection, but is not causing more severe disease than delta.”Both Omicron sub-variants XBB and BF.7 are driving the Covid surge globally.
Her long-chain tweets came when the Indian government has stepped up its surveillance in the wake of a Covid surge globally, especially in China, where BF.7 is driving the hike in cases, with viral videos of hospitals and crematoriums overwhelmed by the pressure. “Does all of the hype mean that the threat to India is high? Our population is vaccinated with the primary series, & has had high rates of infection (90% estimated). Most conditions were during Omicron, & this gives us hybrid immunity,” she said.
With the health ministry announcing that they will be conducting random testing of two per cent of international travellers from Saturday, Dr Kang said, “it has little value.” “Randomly increasing testing has little value. Testing incoming travellers needs a risk-based framework, but X% sampling also means that you accept that every incoming case will not be detected. In other words, increasing testing needs a strategic approach.”