So far, 3,648 sequences of the Omicron XBB.1.16 variant have been reported from 33 countries, including India, on open research platform GISAID, the global health body, said.
Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj assured that the government is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation.
COVID-19 updates: At the end of March 2023, XBB.1.16, a SARS-CoV-2 omicron XBB subvariant, emerged and was detected in various countries.
COVID-19 cases in United States: The second most prevalent strain BQ.1.1 accounts for 6.7 per cent. The CDC first started tracking XBB.1.5 in November 2022, when it accounted for less than 1 per cent of cases nationwide.
Growth of the world's second-largest economy slid to 2.9 per cent over a year earlier in December from the previous month's 3.9 per cent, government data showed Tuesday.
China's abrupt pivot from Covid Zero in early December (2022) unleashed a surge of omicron infections and led to 59,938 virus-related deaths in the nation's hospitals through January 12, Bloomberg news agency reported, citing the figures disclosed by the National Health Commission.
Catherine Smallwood, WHO's senior emergency officer for Europe said, “Passengers should be advised to wear masks in high-risk settings such as long-haul flights."
XBB.1.5, nicknamed Kraken, is "the most transmissible sub-variant which has been detected yet," said WHO's Covid-19 technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove, during a press conference.
People are worried about which variant is more dangerous in India and what is the difference in their symptoms. So, let's understand the distinction between Covid XBB.1.5 and Omicron BF.7.
The next 40 days are expected to be critical for India as a potential surge in COVID-19 cases is anticipated in January. It is important for the public to take necessary precautions and follow guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus during this time.
COVID BF.7 in India: Global studies have shown that the coronavirus variant, as a subvariant of Omicron, is highly infectious and spreads faster than other variants. Check out the most common symptoms that you shouldn't ignore.
Hospitals across Delhi are conducting mock drills on Tuesday to assess their preparedness, including the availability of beds and manpower.
China's new announcements have come at a time when the country is grappling with a sudden spurt in coronavirus infections fuelled by the Omicron variants after the Xi Jinping regime relaxed its stringent zero-Covid policy earlier this month.
The new covid variant surge in china and other nations including Japan and US has cautioned a question in India as well that can Omicron BF.7 covid variant can cause another wave in India?
China Covid Wave: A leaked document, purportedly from China's National Health Commission, said around 248 million, roughly 17.56 per cent of the total population were affected by the recent surge in infections from December 1 to 20.
China Corona | Corona continues to wreak havoc in China. Everyday thousands of patients are dying of corona. The situation has become so uncontrollable that the government there is no longer able to handle it. In the last 20 days only in China, about 250 million people have become Corona positive
Covid: The man returned to Agra from China via Delhi on December 23 following which he was tested at a private lab. The report came out positive for Covid, he added.
China has a population that is very large and there's limited immunity. And that seems to be the setting in which we may see an explosion of a new variant, said Dr. Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University.
India has already started genome sequencing on a large scale, apart from random testing of incoming passengers at international airports. Passengers having a travel history to China are on top of the watch list. There are 3,338 testing labs working on all Covid samples that are being collected.
The Centre, states and UTs are issuing constant advisories and guidelines after the detection of 3 cases of Omicron subvariant in India. Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya is set to hold a virtual meet on the COVID situation on Friday whereas PM Modi chaired a high-level meet regarding the same.
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