India sees rise in Covid variants driving cases abroad, govt steps up surveillance

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India has seen an increase in the detection of the mutated forms of coronavirus like BA.5 and BQ.1.1, which are behind the rise in Covid cases in other countries, government sources said.

In the last three months, according to the official genome sequencing data seen by Moneycontrol, the detection rate of the BA.5 variant went up from 26 percent in September to 38 percent in December.

The official could not share the number of samples of Covid patients sequenced. He, however, said that the number of samples was less as the number of patients was low in the country, adding that the rise in detection rate was marginal.

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The reports have suggested that the sudden spurt in cases is driven by a new and highly transmissible BF.7 strain of the Omicron variant being witnessed in Japan, the US, the Republic of Korea, Brazil, and China.

“The BF.7 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron sub-lineage BA.5 and the rise in the percentage of samples BA.5 and BQ.1.1 is concerning and that's why sequencing of samples and surveillance is important," the government official said.

The official added that along with BA.5, the BQ.1.1 variant was found in 27 percent of samples sequenced in September and in December 33 percent of the positive samples of Covid patients.

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BF.7 strain

So far four cases of BF.7 strain have been detected in India, three cases were detected from Gujarat and one from Odisha.

“However, the cases aren’t new – one was detected in July, two in September and one in November and all the patients have recovered,” the official said.

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The official citing Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genome Consortium Network, or INSACOG, said the variants like BA.5 (its sub-lineage is BF.7), BQ.1.1, BA.4.6, XBB, BA.2.75, CH.1.1 have been detected in the India population as well.

"So far the impact of these variants in the Indian population has been minimal, as far as the infection and death is concerned," the official added.

The official data seen by Moneycontrol shows that in November, 1,500 samples of positive cases were sequenced and in the first two weeks of December, nearly 900 positive samples have been sequenced.

Amid calls for enhanced sequencing of positive Covid samples, the consortium for genome sequencing will hold a review meeting today evening.

Also read: 3 cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7, driving China's Covid surge, detected in India

An official who will participate in today's meeting said the current situation of circulating variants will be discussed, adding that the data of hospital and sewage surveillance will be taken up in the meeting.

INSACOG has so far tracked over 540 mutations of Covid virus since it started sequencing samples.