No cause of worry: ICMR DG amid uptick in Covid cases

Amid an uptick in Covid cases in some parts of the country, Di-rector General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Rajiv Behl Monday said the severity of infections as of now is generally mild and there was no cause for worry.
Speaking about new Covid variants being traced, he said genome sequencing of samples in the west and south have shown that the new variants are not severe and are Omicron sub-variants. These are LF.7, XFG, JN.1 and NB. 1.8.1.
The first three are more prevalent, Dr Behl said. “Samples from other places are being se-quenced and we will know in a day or two if there are more variants.”
ICMR DG said there has been an uptick in cases –first from the south, then west and now from northern India. All these cases are being monitored through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
Besides that, ICMR’s nationwide respiratory virus sentinel surveillance network is keeping a watch on emerging infections and pathogens, he said.
“Whenever cases increase, we look at three things. It’s dependent on three factors with the first being how transmissible it is, conversely how fast the cases are increasing. Previously we saw Covid cases double in two days, but this time it is not that cases are increasing rapidly.
“Secondly, are the new variants evading our previous immunity? When new variants come, they evade immunity — be it natural or from the vaccine. But there’s nothing to worry about at the moment,” he said. He also said that the third factor is the percentage of severe cases in all Covid instances.
“Are we getting a very severe disease without comorbidities? As of now, the severity is generally low. There’s nothing to worry about. We should be vigilant and we should always be prepared,” the ICMR DG asserted. According to the latest data from the health ministry, India reported 1,009 active Covid-19 cas-es, with Kerala (430), Maharashtra (209), and Delhi (104) accounting for the majority. Seven deaths have been recorded so far—four from Maharashtra, two from Kerala, and one from Karnataka.