Through genome sequencing, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Aga Khan University (AKU) have verified the existence of a highly contagious subvariant of the Omicron strain of the Coronavirus.
XBB, one of the three strains of the Omicron variant causing havoc in China, has reportedly been discovered in Pakistan, as per reports from the NIH and AKU.
The reports claimed that NIH routinely performs genomic sequencing on Coronavirus samples, citing a senior NIH official. Due to Pakistan’s low rate of coronavirus positivity, however, there are only a few samples available for sequencing.
The representative clarified that the nation is not currently in imminent danger of a new Coronavirus wave. The National Institutes of Health, however, is constantly keeping an eye on the situation and is ready for anything.
Independently, AKU representatives claimed that Pakistan has not yet seen the presence of the other two strains, including the most dangerous BF.7 subvariant of the Omicron variant, dominant in China.
However, Dr. Faisal Mehmood of the AKU cautioned that BF.7 might be spreading throughout the nation. Pakistanis have, however, grown more resistant to the Coronavirus than Chinese people because of a combination of vaccines.
Due to the lack of travel restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of BF.7 into Pakistan, Dr. Faisal Sultan, a former SAPM on health, has asserted that Pakistan may already be a destination for the virus.
The BF.7 variant has not spread to Pakistan, according to Prof. Saeed Khan, senior molecular scientist and professor of pathology at Karachi’s Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS). The number of Coronavirus cases would have increased noticeably if it had been found in the nation.
He continued by saying that BF.7 is so contagious that it can quickly overcome innate and learned immunity. Up to 20 people can contract the virus from a patient who has BF.7.
