Eleven new COVID-19 variants were discovered in India among foreign visitors who arrived between December 24 and January 3, according to sources in the health ministry. Of the 19,227 passengers who were tested for COVID-19 during that time, 124 had positive results, sources revealed to Reuters.
The new Covid XBB 1.5 variant is not a concern for India, said Dr M Wali, Physician in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi, as booster doses have been given to 30–40% of the eligible population, 90% of whom have received vaccinations.
However, Dr. Wali urged people to “be cautious” and to keep their elderly and young children to themselves, while warning against going outside without a reason. He advised people to behave in a Covid-appropriate manner and, most essential, to mask.
Dr. Wali stressed on the role of immunity in combating the virus, asserting that a booster dosage, strong immunity, the initial infection, and immunisation all work in concert to diminish the virus’ aggressivity. It is sufficient to keep infected individuals apart and send their samples for genome sequencing instead of requiring them to be admitted to a hospital.
Meanwhile, renowned US scientist. Epidemiologist and health economist Eric Feigl-Ding claimed that the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had disregarded the risks posed by the new variant, which was the cause of the high hospitalisation rate. The CDC has “cowardly” failed to acknowledge that the XBB.1.5 coronavirus strain had its origins in the northeastern US, according to Feigl-Ding.
According to Feigl-Ding, the new variant is, “one of the most evasive variants against immunity (high escape) and fusion with human cells (high ACE2 binding)—a worst of both worlds”.
Feigl-Ding earlier warned a new coronavirus pandemic wave that will soon return to China and the rest of the world might cause millions of deaths over the next three months. Over the next three months, infected people will comprise 10% of the global population and more than 60% of the population of China, he added.
source: livemint
