India is on high alert with government agencies stepping up monitoring and measures to curb possible Covid-19 outbreaks amid the surge of cases in China. Top Indian virologist Gagandeep Kang has said that India is doing “fine at the moment” but has noted that the tragedy unfolding in China presents an “increased opportunity” for new coronavirus variants to emerge.
"Worry with China is not just the tragedy unfolding for them as they undergo what we have already experienced, but that high levels of replication mean increased opportunity for new variants to emerge," Kang was quoted as saying.
She mentioned that the two Omicron sub-variants currently spreading furiously in China - BF.7 and XBB - have been in India but have not propelled cases. The microbiologist insists she does not expect a surge in infections in the country.
“They are, like all Omicron sub-variants, very good at infecting people because they escape the immune response that prevents infection, but are not causing more severe disease than Delta," Kang tweeted.
"At the moment, India is doing fine. We have few cases, we have had the XBB and BF.7 for a while and they have not driven an upsurge in India. In the absence of an even more highly infectious variant, I do not expect a surge," she said.
"Each new sub-variant thrives only if it is better at immune escape than the prior ones. Therefore, greater infectiousness of new variants is a given and not news," she added in another tweet.
"Our population is vaccinated with the primary series, and has had high rates of infection (90 per cent estimated). Most infections were during Omicron, and this gives us hybrid immunity. How long will it last and vaccines?" Kang tweeted.
While the Christian Medical College professor said that India was “fine” for now, she did emphasise on the need of ensuring surveillance to monitor any change in the virus’ behaviour.
"This is a public health function where stable surveillance runs in the background and ramps up for emerging threats," she said.
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(With inputs from PTI)
