Pakistan 'detects' new Covid variant linked to spike in China

Pakistan 'detects' new Covid variant linked to spike in China

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – A subvariant of omicron, believed to be one of the three strains driving the recent surge in Covid cases in China and other countries, has been detected in Pakistan.

The detection of the XBB strain has been confirmed by the National Health Institute and the Aghan University to media outlets after genome sequencing of samples. However, they confirmed that the South Asian country was still save from the highly infectious variant – BF.7.

NIH officials said genomic surveillance of the last batch of samples showed increased cases of the XBB variant in the country. They also said Pakistan did not face any imminent threat of a new Covid wave, adding that the situation was being monitored closely.

Last month, the Border Health Services of Pakistan directed authorities at all international airports to ensure strict implementation of the Covid screening of inbound passengers amid rising cases of new variants in parts of the world.

In a letter issued on Dec 28, the department said the passengers travelling to Pakistan from foreign countries should be strictly monitored at all airports.

Meanwhile, the NIH in an official statement clarified that no case of Omicron’s sub-variant BF.7 is detected in Pakistan so far. A total of 29 cases of XBB (Omicron) have been reported from Pakistan and made it clear that this is not the BF.7 variant which is spread in the neighboring country.

Clarifying the news circulating about the new Covid variant, the spokesperson said that such news was not accurate as the reported variant in some areas of the country is XBB which is an old variant of Omicron.

Based on observations, BF.7 is more contagious than other sub-variants of Omicron but less virulent. Infection with BF.7 has a much lower risk of hospitalization and severe Covid. However, BF.7 infection can be severe in those with high blood pressure, kidney diseases, diabetes, or other comorbidities and in those aged over their sixties.

According to health experts, BF.7 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant – the dominant variant circulating globally of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus. It has a 4.4-fold higher neutralization resistance than the original D614G variant.

This means, in a laboratory setting, antibodies from a vaccinated or infected individual are less likely to destroy BF.7 than the original virus first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.

This sub-variant also has a shorter incubation period and a higher capacity to cause reinfection or infect even those vaccinated.

The XBB.1.5 variant of Covid is actually a sub-variant of XBB. It is made of a combination or say mutation of BA.2.75 and BA.2.10.1.

BF.7 is a BA.5.2.1.7 mutation of Omicron BA.5. The variant BF.7 has an R346T mutation in the spike protein of the virus and can evade antibodies originally derived from the Wuhan virus, particularly vaccines such as the Sinovac.

The XBB.1.5 variant is said to be more dangerous as it is more contagious than BF.7 and its cases are 56% more than BF.7, XBB.1.5 scales up to 120 percent faster than BF.7 and XBB.1.5 is not only affecting the vaccine and the body’s antibodies but also weakening it.

The symptoms of BF.7 infection are similar to those of other Covid-19 variants, such as fever, sore throat, runny nose and cough. Some patients may also experience diarrhoea and vomiting. While the variant may not cause severe complications, early detection and isolation of cases is crucial, because it is spread more easily.