Is COVID 19(Corona Virus)Sub Variant BF7 Surge Govt Worries.

ISLAMABAD: Health authorities said Monday they are fully prepared to deal with any subtype of the deadly coronavirus, including BF.7 if it reaches the country.

A system established to deal with an undesirable situation: the health authorities.

They also say that the medical staff in the intensive care unit are also active to deal with any situation.

Pakistan has not yet reported the BF.7 subvariant of the coronavirus.

NHS management, organization and coordination sources said the effective system with an appropriate management team is fully operational and ready to put a contingency plan in place in the event of an untoward situation.

They said surveillance systems are in place at all entry points in the country, including airports. They added that medical staff in intensive care units at hospitals across the country are also active to deal with any situation.

The sources said that genome sequencing has started in the laboratories of the four governorates and the federal capital. They added that 90% of the country's population have already received the COVID-19 vaccine, so they are "sure".

They said special instructions had been issued to ensure hospitals have adequate supplies of ventilators, oxygen and antiviral drugs.

No highly transmissible sub variant detected:

The development comes after the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) denied the discovery of the Omicron sub-BF.7 variant in Pakistan and said there was no threat from a new type of COVID-19.

 An unverified report is circulating in the media regarding the threat of a new variant of COVID-19. The National Command and Operations Center confirms that there is no such threat at this time. "The situation is being closely monitored," the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad said in a statement on Twitter.

After China, India reported the detection of several cases of BF.7, a sub-variant of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 which is causing the massive COVID outbreak in China.

The BF.7 subvariant has already been detected in several other countries including Germany, Belgium, France, Denmark, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Thought to be a highly transmissible variant with a shorter incubation period, experts from the National Institutes of Health said, is a substrain of the Omicron BA variant. They said it also has a higher potential to cause reinfection and can even infect vaccinated people.

After China, India reported the detection of several cases of BF.7, a sub-variant of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 which caused the massive COVID outbreak in China.

The BF.7 variant has already been detected in several other countries including Germany, Belgium, France, Denmark, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Experts from the National Institutes of Health believe it to be a highly transmissible variant with a shorter incubation period, is a sub-strain of the Omicron BA variant. They said it also has a greater possibility of causing reinfection and can infect people who have been vaccinated.

According to the latest studies, the BF.7 variant has several times higher resistance to neutralization than the original Wuhan virus. This means that the antibodies from the vaccination are not effective enough against the virus," an expert from the National Institutes of Health told The News.

Meanwhile, according to data shared by the National Institute of Health (NIH), 14 cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported in the past 24 hours across the country.

The case positivity rate was 0.53%, while 18 patients were in critical condition.

No deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in the past 24 hours as 3,394 tests have been carried out. Some 151 tests were carried out in Islamabad, 824 in Lahore and 55 in Multan.

Up to four confirmed cases with a positive case rate of 0.49% have been reported in Lahore, one case with a positive case rate of 0.66% has been reported in Islamabad and one case with a positive case rate of 1.82% was reported in Multan.

The Minister salutes the nursing staff

Meanwhile, National Health Services Minister Abdul Qadir Patel appreciated the efforts of all stakeholders, health personnel, immunization teams and administration working across Pakistan despite multiple challenges.

He directed all provinces and regions to administer booster doses to further improve protection against COVID-19 transmission.

He indicated that in view of the global pandemic situation, the Central Health Establishment (CHE) will be strengthened to improve its functionality.

The minister stressed the importance of precautions, including social distancing and wearing a mask, especially in crowded places. He also stressed the need to strictly follow the guidelines for market management.