COVID-19 is again posing a grave risk after an increase in the number of cases in China, Japan and a few other countries. The spike in cases is being attributed to the BF.7 variant which is a sub-lineage of Omicron—which we have seen already and came with high transmissibility even though the infection caused by it was seen largely milder in comparison to what we saw happening due to Delta variant of the COVID-19 infection. But the risk has been timely noted by the Government to ensure that the necessary steps are taken in advance so that any emerging situation is dealt with effectively as it gets out of hand in China.
With two COVID-19 cases involving the BF.7 variant already reported in India, some experts predict a rise in COVID-19 cases there in the coming days. On the other hand, other experts, like Dr Randeep Gulerai, think India has built up the necessary immunity to the infection compared to what was seen during the pandemic’s initial outbreak a few years ago.
The view of Dr Guleria, that India has implemented extensive COVID-19 vaccination coverage which makes the population capable of fighting the infection without causing much disruption as was seen happening when the COVID-19 wave was triggered by the Omicron variant, is refuted by the risk of infection posed by the new variant, which has the strongest infection ability and a higher capacity to infect even those who are vaccinated.
While cases emerge from China and other countries, globally, there has been a renewed appreciation of how India has been handling the pandemic in comparison to China and other countries and true that India has been ensuring that containment measures are taken at the grassroots to manifest and make difference in the larger picture. The same strategy has remained missing in China which resorted to stringent measures to curb the spread of infection. However, for India, this time, the challenge might be different and difficult and the same calls for renewed measures to be taken. As COVID-19 cases driven by the new variant emerge, it is evident that there would be a steep increase in cases in India as well, which only leaves the option of putting up a well-thought-out strategy to deal with the possible crisis-like situation.
As of now, the drive to administer preventative COVID-19 doses needs to be rekindled, paying particular attention to those who are living with underlying medical issues. This drive has almost completely waned as a result of the lax attitude. The genome sequencing of the COVID-19-positive cases reported across the nation, which has also lagged behind all this time, needs to pick up speed to confirm the presence of the new variant and to support the implementation of efficient containment measures in the clusters where such cases are reported to stop the infection from spreading further. The COVID-19 pandemic is still far from the end, leaving out only the options of handling the situation wisely and taking required measures well in time.
