India News | Amid Surge in China and BF.7 Sub-variant Scare, Gujarat Minister Says Situation Under Control in State

Ahmedabad, Dec 22 (PTI) Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel on Thursday said the COVID-19 situation in the state was under control and there was no active case of the BF.7 sub-variant of Omicron, which is believed to be driving the surge in cases in China.

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At least three persons in the state were found infected with this sub-variant in the recent past but they have recovered in home isolation, Patel, who is also the spokesperson of the state government, told reporters in Gandhinagar after a cabinet meeting.

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"Cases related to BF.7 infections are emerging in China, Japan and the United States of America. But BF.7 cases are rare in India and Gujarat. All the three persons found infected with this sub-variant in the past have recovered in home isolation. Thanks to our proactive vaccination drive, coronavirus is under control in Gujarat," Patel said.

A separate review meeting of health officials of various districts was also convened after the cabinet meeting through video conference and they were given necessary instructions to deal with any situation, an official release said.

The state government had, on Wednesday, said three elderly persons, comprising two from Ahmedabad and one from Vadodara, were found infected with BF.7 in July, September and November, and all of them recovered in home isolation.

"Today, more than one lakh beds are available in government as well as private hospitals across the state to treat COVID-19 patients. It includes 15,000 ICU and 9,700 ventilator beds. In view of the present situation, I urge people to voluntarily follow COVID-appropriate behaviour," said Patel.

"Though Gujarat currently has only 23 active cases, the state administration has been working on a pro-active mode and started preparations in view of the present situation," he added.

On Friday, a mock drill will be held across the state to check if oxygen plants at various hospitals are in proper condition and whether they can be put to use on an urgent basis if the need arises, the minister said.

Meanwhile, officials in Bhavnagar and Rajkot have announced that two foreign-return persons, including a woman, were found positive for coronavirus on Thursday and their samples were sent to Gandhinagar for genome sequencing to find out the variant.

A 34-year-old man in Bhavnagar was found positive for coronavirus a day after his return from China, said R K Sinha, medical officer of Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation.

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