Recent Cases in India
Four foreign nationals out of whom two are from England, one from Thailand and one from Myanmar, have tested positive for COVID. They all arrived in India to attend the religious preaching of Tibetan Spiritual Leader Dalai Lama at Bodh Mahotsava in Gaya, Bihar. The corona test of foreign nationals who arrived at Gaya was done on December 23. Out of them, the above-mentioned four tested positive for COVID.
The medical officer in charge of the Gaya district, Dr Ranjan Kumar Singh said that there was a drill at the airport which was followed for those who were visiting Bodh Gaya to attend the Dalai Lama’s discourses. During that drill, passengers were tested on the weekend.
The four foreigners had come to attend Dalai Lama’s religious programme to be held from December 29 to 31. The news of them being COVID-positive has increased the fear in people, at the religious place.
All the infected persons between the age group of 35 to 75 years have been kept isolated in the same hotel they’d checked in. Their condition is said to be stable.
After all this, the strictness regarding COVID testing has been increased at the airport as well as at the Gaya Railway Station.
All You Need to Know About BF.7
The new omicron variant BF.7 has entered India. This new variant can transmit from one person to around 18 persons. Health experts say that in India it may not cause the amount of destruction it is causing in China. People in India, by following required COVID precautions may not be much affected by the new variant as the people have developed Herd and Hybrid immunity.
Herd and Hybrid Immunity
When people have gained immunity by already getting affected by the virus and developing antibodies to that virus, experts term it Herd Immunity. This immunity may help the body to fight against the new variant.
While Hybrid Immunity is a step ahead of Herd Immunity and can be termed as the immunity gained against the virus through vaccinations and as well as past infections of that virus. This creates a higher level of antibodies in a person. Hybrid Immunity is thus stronger than Herd Immunity.
Dr NK Arora said, “Herd immunity is a complex matter. Let’s not go into that. What we have in India is strong hybrid immunity. India has seen wave after wave of infection and many people have got exposure to natural infection.”
Alert by Indian Medical Association
As COVID cases are rising in different countries, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) alerts and appeals to Indian Citizens to follow COVID appropriate behaviour and take necessary precautions. The government should also be prepared for any such situation as seen in 2021.
The IMA statement mentions that around 5.37 lakhs of new COVID cases have been reported in the last 24 hours. The cases have been reported by the USA, Japan, France, South Korea and Brazil. The variant is said to cause mild upper respiratory symptoms for one or two days.
The association has appealed to the Indian government that it should immediately issue the necessary instructions to the concerned Ministries and Departments. They should be ready with emergency medicines, oxygen supply and ambulance services.
Virtual meetings are being held for COVID preparedness. Random post-arrival testing is also being done at the Delhi Airport from December 24. As a part of the new rules by the government of India, about 455 passengers went through random COVID tests at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. All this and many more steps are being taken to reduce the risk of the new COVID variant BF.7 in India.
