‘Another COVID Wave Unlikely’: Indians Have Hybrid Immunity Against BF.7, Assures Guleria

Photo courtesy: The Indian Express

New Delhi: Amid apprehension in the wake of a massive COVID surge, driven by BF.7 Omicron subvariant in China along with some other countries, former AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria has said that India is safe from another wave of the coronavirus pandemic because of hybrid immunity of its population.

Hybrid immunity is the combined effect of natural infection and vaccination.

“A fresh outbreak of severe Covid cases and hospitalisation is unlikely as the Indian population already has hybrid immunity because of a very good vaccination coverage and natural infection,” PTI quoted Dr Guleria as saying.

Even as the Narendra Modi government made RT-PCR test mandatory for passengers arriving from China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand, Dr Guleria said India are in a comfortable situation and there is no need to restrict international flights.

Dr Guleria felt that banning flights is not very effective in halting the transmission of coronavirus, as seen from the past.

A fresh outbreak requiring high number of hospitalisations is unlikely in India as the BF.7 sub-variant of Omicron has already been there in the country.

Epidemiologist Dr Chandrakant Lahariya also said a travel ban in the current situation will be ineffective.

“We had seen this a year ago with the Omicron variant. Clearly, travel bans have no role anymore. And secondly, India has over 250 subvariants of Omicron already. And therefore, the most rational approach is random sampling — with no mandates and minimal inconvenience to passengers — for incoming international passengers. The purpose would be to keep track of emerging COVID subvariants,” Dr Lahariya elaborated.