Pakistan reports first ‘confirmed’ case of BF.7 variant of COVID-19
Virus-infected person showed symptoms after another person met him at his office in Karachi, say sources
January 31, 2023
Pakistan on Tuesday reported its first “confirmed” case of a new BF.7 Omicron variant of the coronavirus, according to sources in the health department.
The first case of the highly infectious strain of COVID-19, which has played havoc in China, was detected in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area of Karachi, said the well-placed sources.
The new coronavirus variant has been detected in a patient through gene-sequencing. The patient has no travel history to China. The virus-infected person showed symptoms after another person met him at his office, the sources added.
Symptoms
The symptoms of the new variant of the COVID -19 include fever, sore throat, runny nose, fatigue, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
Despite BF.7's immune-evasive characteristics and the worrying signs about its growth in China, the variant seems to remain fairly steady elsewhere.
In the US, it was estimated to account for 5.7% of infections up to 10 December 2022, down from 6.6% the week prior. The Chinese situation and BF.7’s high reproduction rate might be partly due to a low level of immunity in China from the previous infection and possibly vaccination.
As per the latest data, BF.7 is quicker to transmit than other variants. It has a shorter incubation period with a greater capacity to infect people who have previously been infected with COVID-19 or even vaccinated.
