The coronavirus BF.7 variant is of sublineage BA.5 and its full name is Omicron BA.5.2.1.7.
COVID-19 BF 7 variant is more virulent, transmits quickly, easily escapes, reproduces faster, and infects people quickly even vaccinated people.
China is facing another wave of COVID-19 and the main killer behind this coronavirus wave is the mutated BF.7 variant which is more infectious and dangerous than previous lineage mutations.
History of Coronavirus
According to ScienceDirect coronavirus (SARS), was first identified in the Guangdong Province of the People’s Republic of China in November 2002 from there onwards it spread to Hong Kong and the whole world.
SARS-CoV virus infects humans and causes lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) and this infection suddenly increased in China in 2002.
According to the study, the fatality rate was 10% to 50% in elderly people who need intensive care.
This epidemic halted in 2003 and the virus is no longer circulating in humans but stays in bats.
Coronavirus continues to present in nature and mutate itself and cause different zoonotic but human infections are less since the 2003 outbreak until 2019.
The first case of COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) was identified in Wuhan, China, and this disease rapidly spread throughout the whole world leading to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The world already faces 3 waves of COVID-19 due to different mutated strains like Alpha, beta, delta, and gamma variants of coronavirus, and the new COVID-19 Variant BF.7 is on the door.
What is Omicron BF.7
Omicron BF.7 is a new mutated variant of Coronavirus in the sub-lineage of Omicron BA.5.2.1.7 which is more virulent, rapidly spreading, has low incubation time, escapes the immune system, and quickly infects people.
China is facing an attack of the Covid-19 BF.7 variant and experts say in this wave more than 60% population gets infected and the threat of more than 2 million people is estimated.
Bf.7 variant came to India a few months back with BA.5 and BA.2.75 but the infection is not severe as it does in China.
Expert says India will not face the crisis China faces now due to the development of herd immunity in most of the population against Coronavirus BF.7 Variant affect the same as previous variant like delta, BA.5, and gamma but the difference is that the speed of transmission, incubation period.
China has worked on a zero COVID policy since the Pandemic vanished and this prevented the development of herd immunity in the Chinese population so the coronavirus BF.7 variant that not causing any serious infection in countries like India has caused havoc in China.
Cases of Omicron Bf.7 in India
According to the Times of India, four cases were found in India in Gujarati and Odisha on sample testing on September 30.
Indian Medical Council released new guidelines for protection against the COVID-19 bf.7 variant and the health minister chaired a meeting and requested people to follow covid appropriate behavior, a bear mask, maintain social distancing, avoid going to crowded places, and Use sanitizer to prevent coronavirus bf.7 infection.
Symptoms of the new Omicron BF.7 variant
Symptoms of the new omicron bf.7 variant are:-
- Sore throat
- Fever
- Runny nose
- Common Cold
- Dry or wet Cough
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Mild to severe body pain.
- Headache
- Upper respiratory tract infections.
- Loss of smell and taste
- Confusion
- Inability to wake and stay wake
In severe cases
- shortness of breathing,
- difficulty in breathing,
- depletion of Oxygen saturation below 80
- increase heart rate,
- palpitation
- congestion in the chest,
- Pale, grey, and bluish coloration of skin, lips, and nail beds.
Is the Indian vaccine effective against new COVID-19 Bf.7
Recently India successfully isolated a new SARS-COV-2 bf.7 samples for the tasting of the effectiveness of Indian Vaccines like Covaxin,covishield, and recent Novavax.
According to cell and host journal covid 19 BF.7 variant acquired additional R346T mutation and on vaccine effective trials on 6 unvaccinated patients,5 vaccinated patients with 2 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 or Moderna, and 4 patients with 3 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 and they found that New Variant BF.7 exhibit strongest immune escape and neutralizing resistance capacity and this is a great threat for our vaccines and again the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.
Dr.B.k Sudha says the next 40 days are very crucial for India. May we see an increase in cases of Covid-19 in January.
Can you have COVID-19 a second time?
Yes, you have covid 19 infection for the second or maybe third time also as coronavirus mutated continuously and its ability to infect people by escaping the immune system may increase or decrease after every mutation so you may get the 2nd-time Covid-19 infection.
But your body reacts immediately after the entry of a new variant in your Body as your immune system is sensitized against Coronavirus 2nd or 3rd-time infections are not severe and life-threatening but you should consult your doctor and isolate yourself to prevent the spreading of infection.
Recently Coronavirus BF.7 surged in China and become havoc there so we can not say if you have already been infected previously with other variants Covid-19 BF.7 variant does not infect you it may infect you but the severity may vary as per your immunity weakness the immunity more chances of getting infected.
When you are contagious with omicron BA.5 or BF.7 Variant
People are most Contagious on days one and two of infection and in this period they may be asymptomatic or develop mild to severe symptoms and they may spread coronavirus infection to others.
A person is contiguous at day one or two and may remain contagious for three to five days or sometimes 10 days until your immune system eradicates COVID-19 infection.
Safety measures for Covid-19 Bf.7
These are some guidelines that will prevent you and your family from Coronavirus bf.7 variant and other variant infections
- Wash your hands or use sanitizer
- Clean your house floor regularly with disinfectant
- Wash the clothes daily that you wear on a daily basis.
- Take care of your old ones and your children.
- Wear a mask when you go out.
- Maintain a social distance of at least 6 feet.
- Avoid touching unnecessary to your face and nose unnecessarily.
- Don’t touch objects in the markets or any outdoor things.
- Avoid cash exchange instead use online payment like UPI or credit cards.
- Avoid going to crowded places like Markets, malls, railway stations, bus stands, and movie theaters.
- Avoid traveling abroad for some days.
- Don’t wear shoes or slippers at home that you wear outside.
- Take a shower after visiting crowded places.
- Don’t spit in public places or on the road.
- Sanitize your tablet, phone, desktops, tablet, and dining table to prevent infections of covid 19 bf.7 and BA.5
Who is at high risk of infection of coronavirus bf.7 new variant?
- People who didn’t get covid 19 infections before.
- Our older people and children.
- Pregnant women.
- A person with lower immunity or say, an immunocompromised person.
- Smokers
- Drug abusers who share syringes for drug abuse.
- HIV patients
- Diabetes patients.
- The person suffers from tuberculosis.
- Malaria infected person
- Patient of pneumonia, hepatitis, HPV, HSV, and Cancer.
- Malnutrition population
Many other diseases that depress the immune system increase the chances of coronavirus bf.7 infections.
Latest variants of Covid-19
Coronavirus mutated faster and due to these mutations, new variants of COVID-19 are born that may be more or less virulent, infectious, and immune escaping.
Here are some different variants of COVID-19 with them we fight previous years
According to the WHO classification
1. Variants of concern (VOC)
- Omicron
- Alpha
- Beta
- Gamma
- Delta
2. Variants of interest (VOI)
There is no currently circulating variant of interest (VOI).
Previously circulating VOI are:-
- Epsilon
- Zeta
- Eta
- Theta
- Iota
- Kappa
- Lamba
- Mu
3. Variants under monitoring (VUM)
There is currently no variant under monitoring
When to go for a COVID-19 test?
After infection when you see symptoms of Covid-19 like sore throat, fever, headache, cough and cold, diarrhea, and vomiting you should go for a Covid-19 test as soon as possible and isolate yourself from others to prevent the spreading of infection in case you are covid positive.
After the results, if you are positive isolate yourself, wear a mask and take a healthy diet that includes proteins, vitamins, and minerals, keep yourself hydrated, and rest.
In case of severe symptoms like difficulty in breathing, chest pain, drop in oxygen saturation, and inability to wake and stay awake, call emergency medical help and you may need to be hospitalized as soon as possible for proper treatment.
What is a Nasal vaccine?
The nasal vaccine for Covid-19 is developed by Bharat Biotech and named INCOVACC.
The aim of the nasal vaccine INCOVACC is to stimulate a broad immune response, boost immunity at all the places of the body from where Covid-19 infection and transmission occurs and block both infection and transmission of COVID-19.
Benefits of Incovacc covid nasal vaccine
- It is safe
- Non-invasive
- Needle-free
- Does not require medical experts for its administration
- Reduce needle association risks like transfer of other infections like HIV, hepatitis, etc…
- Scalable manufacturing is possible so it can complete the COVID-19 vaccine demand in the World.
- Reduces infection and transmission of the Covid-19 virus.
- Stimulate a broad spectrum of immunity in the body to fight against Coronavirus
This article simply offers general advice and information written by an MBBS pursuing students by studying different COVID-19 research papers. It does not in any way take the place of advice from a qualified medical practitioner.
Natural products to boost immunity at home
Frequently asked questions
Do smokers get more severe symptoms of Covid 19 if infected?
According to WHO smokers get more severe symptoms of Covid-19 when they are infected and also the risk of infection increases as both tobacco and Coronavirus primarily affect the lungs.
Does COVID-19 give you night sweats?
Not every person who is infected with omicron bf.7 or any other coronavirus variant will develop night sweats but it may develop in some of the patients of coronavirus and if people night sweat after Covid-19 then it increases the possibility of long Covid.
If you feel night sweats only after getting an infection by coronavirus not before then it is a response of your body against COVID-19 and it may go away on its own after a few days.
How long does COVID-19 bf.7 last
It depends on the immunity of the person in person omicron bf.7 lasts for 3 to 5 days and in others, it may extend up to ten days. As the infection rate of the bf.7 variant is high and also the incubation period is low, this makes COVID-19 bf.7 more dangerous and lasts longer in the body by escaping from immunity.
Which is the more severe omicron bf.7 vs delta variant?
Omicron is less severe than the delta variant but it rapidly infects more populations in less time and even among the vaccinated population on the other hand Delta variant spreads slowly but causes severe illness and does not cause infection to the vaccinated population.
Can vaccination booster dose prevent Omicron bf.7?
A booster dose prevents omicron bf.7 variant infection but you may still get infections and it may be asymptomatic or less symptomatic In a person who gets a booster dose as compared to persons who don’t get a booster dose.
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