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India detects first case of ‘dangerous’ Omicron subvariant BQ.1 in Maharashtra
- Maharashtra surveillance officer said Pradeep Awate cited the detection and added that high-risk patients should follow precautions
India on Tuesday detected the first case of Omicron subvariant BQ.1 in Pune, Maharashtra. The BQ.1 is a descendant of BA.5, which is behind the 60% Covid cases in the US.
Besides, the state has reported new Covid XBB, a new sub-variant of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has been detected in parts of India, including Kerala.
XBB, a recombinant lineage between two Omicron sublineages BJ.1 and BA.2.75, is a fast-spreading variant, which was seen to have caused a spike across Singapore recently.
Recently, US top immunologist Dr Anthony Fauci sounded alarmed about the entry omicron’s BA.5 subvariant, called BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. He said the two subvariants have dangerous, "qualities or characteristics that could evade some of the interventions we have".
Maharashtra has witnessed 17.7 rise in Covid cases over the week that ended on 16 October. Yesterday, the state reported 201 Covid-19 cases. The case fatality rate in Maharashtra is 1.82%. Pune reported 23 new cases.
Maharashtra's health department and experts have asked not to ignore flu-like symptoms and seek medical advice at the earliest. They have advised observing Covid Appropriate behaviour in public places and getting vaccinated as per Government of India guidelines. Experts from the department suggest that people with comorbidities need to take extra precautions while visiting public places. People suffering from Influenza-like illnesses should avoid public contact as much as possible.
In America, the BQ.1 Covid strain and a descendant called BQ.1.1 have grown up by 10% since September.
Fauci said the new sub-variant has a "troublesome" doubling time.The BQ.1 variant of Covid-19 has already outpaced many rival strains in European nations from England to Germany, where the Covid wave has resurged.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. are the fast-growing subset of the Omicron variant in the US at present. It appears that the two sub-variants might overtake other Covid strains such as BA.4.6. which currently makes up 12.2% of infections.
In America, the New York and New Jersey area has the largest proportion of BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 infections.
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Business NewsNewsIndiaIndia detects first case of ‘dangerous’ Omicron subvariant BQ.1 in Maharashtra
First Published:18 Oct 2022, 11:16 AM IST
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