The Gist With China being hit hard by a contamination wave, a new sub-variant of Omicron called the BF7 has been identified as the heart of Beijing’s transmissions.
It is the new sub-variant that worries the Chinese authorities. BF7, a subvariant of Omicron, is at the center of the Covid-19-related contamination identified in Beijing, China. But is it more dangerous than the previous sub-variants? La Dépêche du Midi takes stock.
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BF7 has a higher R0 (reproduction rate of a virus) than Omicron. Indeed, “BF7 is believed to have an R0 of 10–18.6. This means that an infected person transmits the virus to an average of 10 to 18.6 other people. Research has shown that omicron has an average R0 of 5.08,” epidemiologist Antoine Flahault posted on Twitter.
1/9 – “Since Omicron emerged in late 2021, it has rapidly evolved into multiple subvariants. a subvariant, #BF7has recently been identified as the main variant spreading in Beijing and is contributing to a broader rise #COVID-19 Infections in China.” https://t.co/gYBgCqzGjC
— Antoine FLAHULT (@FLAHULT) December 16, 2022
This therefore promises new complications in China, where contamination numbers are reaching unprecedented levels. In the eastern city of Qingdao alone, a Communist Party-run news outlet on Friday quoted the city health official as saying the port city had “between 490,000 and 530,000” new cases a day.
Risk of serious illness in frail individuals
Symptoms would be similar to infection with other Omicron subvariants. It would be fever, cough, sore throat but also runny nose and fatigue. “However, BF7 can certainly lead to more serious diseases in people with a weaker immune system,” says the professor.
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But could BF7 also spread massively internationally? The numbers are currently not alarming. “Despite the characteristics of immune evasion and worrying signs of its growth in China, the variant appears to remain fairly stable elsewhere. In the United States, for example, on December 10 it has so far been estimated for 5.7% of infections compared to 6.6% the previous week,” explains the specialist. However, its presence has been noted in India, which fears a peak in contamination.
While some media in Chinese territory speak of drug shortages and hospitals under pressure, estimates of the true number of cases remain rare. The government of eastern Jiangxi province reported in a social media post on Friday that 80% of its population — or about 36 million people — would be infected by March.