No Covid surge in India on account of new variants, says India’s high virologist Dr Gagandeep Kang

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Amid rising Covid-19 instances globally, particularly in China, India’s high virologist Dr Gagandeep Kang stated on Friday that India is doing high quality as each Omcricon sub-variants XBB and BF.7, which have been in India for some time, haven’t pushed an upsurge.

“At the moment, India is doing fine. We have a few cases, we have had the XBB & BF.7 for a while, and they have not driven an upsurge in India. In the absence of an even more highly infectious variant, I do not expect a surge,” she stated in a sequence of tweets, by which she addressed varied considerations and fears, from the state of affairs in China, and India, booster doses, carrying of masks and journey plans.

“But will we be able to detect a new variant or a surge? We have ample sequencing capacity & if sequencing is done in real-time, we absolutely can. When hospitals begin to see severe cases, we will know. Need to & can understand & measure both the virus & the disease,” she added.

The professor of the Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences on the Christian Medical College in Vellore stated, “in India.., we already have XBB and BF.7 (the two being hyped as new monsters). They are, like all Omicron sub-variants, very good at infecting people because they escape the immune response that prevents infection, but is not causing more severe disease than delta.”Both Omicron sub-variants XBB and BF.7 are driving the Covid surge globally.

Her long-chain tweets got here when the Indian authorities has stepped up its surveillance within the wake of a Covid surge globally, particularly in China, the place BF.7 is driving the hike in instances, with viral movies of hospitals and crematoriums overwhelmed by the strain.  “Does all of the hype mean that the threat to India is high? Our population is vaccinated with the primary series, & has had high rates of infection (90% estimated). Most conditions were during Omicron, & this gives us hybrid immunity,” she stated.

With the well being ministry saying that they are going to be conducting random testing of two per cent of worldwide travellers from Saturday, Dr Kang stated, “it has little value.” “Randomly increasing testing has little value. Testing incoming travellers needs a risk-based framework, but X% sampling also means that you accept that every incoming case will not be detected. In other words, increasing testing needs a strategic approach.”

NEW DELHI: Amid rising Covid-19 instances globally, particularly in China, India’s high virologist Dr Gagandeep Kang stated on Friday that India is doing high quality as each Omcricon sub-variants XBB and BF.7, which have been in India for some time, haven’t pushed an upsurge.

“At the moment, India is doing fine. We have a few cases, we have had the XBB & BF.7 for a while, and they have not driven an upsurge in India. In the absence of an even more highly infectious variant, I do not expect a surge,” she stated in a sequence of tweets, by which she addressed varied considerations and fears, from the state of affairs in China, and India, booster doses, carrying of masks and journey plans.

“But will we be able to detect a new variant or a surge? We have ample sequencing capacity & if sequencing is done in real-time, we absolutely can. When hospitals begin to see severe cases, we will know. Need to & can understand & measure both the virus & the disease,” she added.

The professor of the Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences on the Christian Medical College in Vellore stated, “in India.., we already have XBB and BF.7 (the two being hyped as new monsters). They are, like all Omicron sub-variants, very good at infecting people because they escape the immune response that prevents infection, but is not causing more severe disease than delta.”Both Omicron sub-variants XBB and BF.7 are driving the Covid surge globally.

Her long-chain tweets got here when the Indian authorities has stepped up its surveillance within the wake of a Covid surge globally, particularly in China, the place BF.7 is driving the hike in instances, with viral movies of hospitals and crematoriums overwhelmed by the strain.  “Does all of the hype mean that the threat to India is high? Our population is vaccinated with the primary series, & has had high rates of infection (90% estimated). Most conditions were during Omicron, & this gives us hybrid immunity,” she stated.

With the well being ministry saying that they are going to be conducting random testing of two per cent of worldwide travellers from Saturday, Dr Kang stated, “it has little value.” “Randomly increasing testing has little value. Testing incoming travellers needs a risk-based framework, but X% sampling also means that you accept that every incoming case will not be detected. In other words, increasing testing needs a strategic approach.”