as is the new variant BF.7 that can infect up to 18 people

With more than 60,000 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed in the last week in Argentina, the appearance of new variants of the strain is worrying the world over. omicron with different properties, such as the possibility of evading the immunity generated by vaccines or greater transmissibility.

In this framework, the new subvariante BF.7 It draws attention due to its high transmission capacity, an effect that mainly worries China: given the “Covid Zero” policy of the Asian giant’s government and the low vaccination rate in that country, the population has less resistance to new variations of Omicron.

This is why the latest outbreak of cases in China, with millions of new cases worrying authorities internationally and the first deaths recorded in weeks, is believed to have been strongly driven by BF.7.

This was remarked by the spokesman for the US State Department, Ned Price: “The number of victims of the virus is cause for concern for the rest of the world, given the size of China’s GDP and its economy.”

The main concern around BF.7 is the number of infections that a single infected person can trigger: it is estimated that a person with this strain can cause between 10 and 18 new casesexponentially increasing the number of positives.

What are the characteristics of BF.7

• BF.7 shares a lineage with another of the most well-known Omicron sub-variants: BA.5. However, it appears to be more transmissible, a characteristic that is not yet associated with an increased risk of death from contracting this strain.
• This is indicated by the latest report from the Spanish Ministry of Health, where BF.7 also circulates. According to him, “the risk associated with these lineages is considered low.”

BF.7: the symptoms of the new Omicron variant

The symptoms of the Ómicron subvariant BF.7 are similar to those generally presented by this strain of SARS-CoV-2, that is:

• Tos
• Nasal congestion and runny nose
• intense fatigue
• Widespread body pain
• Headache
• Fever
• Less common: gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach ache

Despite this, the incubation times of the variant are shorter, with symptoms of rapid onset and a shorter duration of the disease in mild cases. In addition, it is also believed that BF.7 generates a large amount of asymptomatic caseswhich is even more worrying due to the difficulty in isolating positive cases and preventing transmission.