As concerns grow over the BF.7 variant of Covid, here are the symptoms to look out for

As the Covid-19 infections in China see massive surge, with hospitals overcrowded and funeral houses stretched beyond limit, many countries are concerned over the BF.7 strain of Omicron variant of coronavirus, which has fueled the outbreak in China. The BF.7 variant has been detected in India as well. Though the numbers are small, it has left the government scrambling to prepare if another outbreak takes place here in India.

Here are the important factors to look out for:

Upper respiratory infection, or in simple terms- congestion in the upper part of chest and near throat, is caused by the BF.7 variant. Sore throat, runny nose, fever, and cough are some of the common symptoms.

Stomach-related symptoms like vomiting and diarrhoea could also be observed in some people if infected by this variant. Medical experts have suggested getting tested immediately as it can help stop the spread by ensuring early isolation and usage of recovery drugs.

In India, only four confirmed cases of the variant have come up between July and October- three in Gujarat and one in Odisha. All the patients had gone in isolation, got treated, and recovered from the disease.

Though BF.7 is not known to cause severe infection, the actual worry is the speed with which the variant spreads. The sheer speed of spread of infection makes early detection and isolation even more important. Experts believe that the recovery rate in case of BF.7 infection is high, however, deaths in absolute numbers may be high if the spread is more than that of earlier variants.

The BF.7 variant of the virus has been detected in several countries including the US, UK, Belgium, Germany, France and Denmark. However, it has not necessarily wrecked the havoc there like it has in china.

Two months ago, the UK had categorised BF.7 as among the most concerning variants. it has, however, scaled down its estimation of how serious it is.

Reports suggest that the intense spread of the variant in China can be attributed to the low immunity in the Chinese nationals either due to previous infection or non-exposure to the virus at all, leaving no scope to develop herd immunity. The abrupt withdrawal of zero-Covid policy is also being seen as one of the major reason for the surge.