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https://theconversation.com/covid-what-we-know-about-new-omicron-variant-bf-7-196323>
"Since the COVID variant omicron emerged in late 2021, it has rapidly evolved
into multiple subvariants. One subvariant, BF.7, has recently been identified
as the main variant spreading in Beijing, and is contributing to a wider surge
of COVID infections in China.
But what is this new variant, and should we be worried? Although reports from
China about this variant’s characteristics are concerning, it doesn’t appear to
be growing too much elsewhere in the world. Here’s what we know.
BF.7, short for BA.5.2.1.7, is a sub-lineage of the omicron variant BA.5.
Reports from China indicate BF.7 has the strongest infection ability out of the
omicron subvariants in the country, being quicker to transmit than other
variants, having a shorter incubation period, and with greater capacity to
infect people who have had a previous COVID infection, or been vaccinated, or
both.
To put this into context, BF.7 is believed to have an R0, or basic reproduction
number, of 10 to 18.6. This means an infected person will transmit the virus to
an average of 10 to 18.6 other people. Research has shown omicron has an
average R0 of 5.08.
The high transmission rate of BF.7, taken with the risk of hidden spread due to
the many asymptomatic carriers, is understood to be causing significant
difficulty in controlling the epidemic in China.
The symptoms of an infection with BF.7 are similar to those associated with
other omicron subvariants, primarily upper respiratory symptoms. Patients may
have a fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose and fatigue, among other symptoms.
A minority of people can also experience gastrointestinal symptoms like
vomiting and diarrhoea.
BF.7 may well cause more serious illness in people with weaker immune systems."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
