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China mocks india8/5/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() The Indian Sars CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics - a network of laboratories monitoring genomic variations of the COVID virus - will hold a meeting this week to review data from China on the viral wave that's gripped the country. The transmission rate and severity of a variant cannot be uniform everywhere it varies depending on the susceptibility of the local population and the environment," added Babu. "Currently, there are no signs of increasing cases based on the data. "But we need to be proactive and sustained strengthening of surveillance mechanisms to detect new variants early enough and respond appropriately." "Hospitalizations have not risen despite the detection of XBB and BF.7 cases, indicating that Indians may be better protected because of hybrid immunity ," Giridhara Babu, an epidemiologist at the Public Health Foundation of India, told DW. ![]() Many virus experts have their attention on the XBB.1.5 and BF.7 variants as well as other, more transmissible subvariants. International health experts predict at least 1 million COVID-related deaths in China this year Image: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images However, given that the virus has changed and mutated so much in the past two years, authorities are aware of the potential for further mutations and have been deploying resources. As such, experts say that the chances of India witnessing large-scale deaths - as seen during the second wave in 2021 - from existing variants are slim. In addition, at least a quarter of adults have received booster shots and a large percentage of the population have been naturally infected. Over 90% of India's adult population had been fully vaccinated by July last year. "Early detection of new variants of the virus and their containment are among the key surveillance measures the government is focusing on," NK Arora, chairman of the COVID-19 working group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization told DW. Random tests have been mandated for travelers from China and five other nations, along with random sampling of 2% of all international passengers. In a fresh advisory, airports and entry points across India have been asked to strengthen surveillance and conduct genome sequencing to detect new variants. The move has triggered a surge of cases and deaths in a population with little natural immunity and low levels of vaccine boosting.Įxperts observing the outbreak are predicting hundreds of thousands of deaths in the coming months. Meanwhile, the virus is spreading rapidly through China, where the authorities dropped the country's " zero-COVID" policy. However, last week, authorities conducted mock drills across a number of health facilities in several states to ensure their readiness. Several Indian states have issued safety advisories, recommending that people wear masks and take precautions to keep infections at bay.Įarlier last year, India relaxed its COVID-19 restrictions after a drop in infections, and most people stopped wearing masks outside. India has been monitoring China's unprecedented wave of COVID-19 cases and is taking proactive contingency measures to prevent a potential outbreak of the virus. ![]()
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