contact tracing: Govt steps up contact tracing in view of Omicron sub-variants

India has intensified contact tracing to search for the unfold of coronavirus an infection, clustering and incidence of extreme circumstances, after the detection of the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of the Omicron within the nation, the pinnacle of India’s Covid Working Group informed ET.

“Contact tracing has been intensified as soon as once more … As of now no rapid clustering has been seen within the nation,” NK Arora, head of the Covid Working Group of India’s Nationwide Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), mentioned on Monday. “We do not need to depart any stone unturned to enhance genome sequencing; sewage surveillance has additionally been expanded to over 50 websites.”

Each sub-variants, first reported in South Africa earlier this 12 months, at the moment are reported from a number of international locations. They’re chargeable for the fifth wave in South Africa.

Specialists mentioned the BA.4 and BA.5 shared a similarity to the BA.2 variant, the dominant sub-variant in India throughout the third wave.

“The antigenic properties are additional away from BA.1 however not very removed from BA.2. So, antibodies in opposition to BA.1 won’t be as efficient in stopping reinfection. That’s the reason rise in infections by BA.4 and BA.5 is being seen in international locations with the BA.1 Omicron wave,” mentioned Anurag Agrawal, former head of laboratory consortium Insacog and chair of the World Well being Group’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution. “The similarity to BA.2 could also be adequate to maintain the chance of reinfection low in areas the place BA.2 had brought on giant waves, for instance most components of India,” he added.

Shahid Jameel, a number one virologist mentioned each BA.4 and BA.5 had extra mutations within the BA.2 lineage of the Omicron variant.

South Africa information counsel no vital distinction in severity, he mentioned, including: “Presumably not completely different however severity additionally relies upon upon the inhabitants – vaccinated or not.”

Whereas there isn’t a proof of excessive severity as a result of an infection, Agrawal mentioned in a inhabitants the place everybody was both contaminated, or vaccinated, or each, severity would anyway be low.