BF.7 SUB-VARIANT

The current surge in Covid-19 infections in China is thought to be driven by the BF.7 sub-variant of Omicron.

Highly transmissible

When viruses mutate, they create lineages and sub-lineages-as though the SARS- CoV-2 tree is sprouting branches and sub-branches. BF.7 is the same as BA.5.2.1.7, which is a sub-lineage of the BA.5 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. Omicron was first reported to the World Health Organization by South Africa in November 2021, and more than 500 sub-variants of Omicron are currently in circulation.

The BF.7sub-variant has a 4.4-fold higher neutralization resistance than the original D614G variant-meaning that in a lab setting, antibodies from a vaccinated or infected individual were less likely to destroy BF.7 than the original Wuhan virus that spread worldwide in 2020.

A higher neutralization resistance means there is a higher likelihood of the variant spreading in a population and replacing other variants.

BF.7 sub-variant in India

The January 2022 wave in India was driven by the BA.1 and BA.2 sub-variants of Omicron. The sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 that followed were never as prevalent in India as they were in European countries; thus, India saw very few cases of BF.7 ( which is an offshoot of BA.5). A recombinant variant called XBB is currently the most common variant in India, accounting for 65.6% of all cases in November.