No confirmed case of BF7 variant so far, says health ministry

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Health Population has said that the BF7 sub-variant of Omicron, which has been confirmed in neighboring countries India and China, has not been detected in Nepal so far.

Issuing a statement on Thursday, the ministry said 17 sub-variants of Omicron – BA.2, BA2.75, BA.2.75.1, BA.2.75.2, BA.2.75.3, BA.2.75.5, BA.2.75.6, BA.2.76, BA.5.2, BA.5.2.1, BM.1, BM.1.1.3, BN.1.3, BQ.1.1, BQ.1.2, By.1 and XBB – have been confirmed in Nepal.

“Whole genome sequencing of 48 samples collected from different parts of the country conducted at National Public Health Laboratory confirmed the presence of 17 Omicron sub-variants in Nepal,” the ministry said in the statement.

The BF-7 subvariant is said to be behind the recent surge of COVID-19 across China.

World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday said that the UN agency is “very concerned” about rising reports of severe COVID-19 disease in China. Speaking at a press briefing, he wanted that China’s slow vaccination rate could result in large numbers of vulnerable people getting infected.

Keeping in view the risk of contracting COVID-19, the ministry has advised people to follow public health protocol and wear a face mask.