Don't panic, infection severity mild, says ICMR amid rise in Covid cases
New Delhi: Amid an uptick in
Covid cases
in some parts of the country, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (
ICMR
) Dr Rajiv Behl on Monday said the severity of infections is mild and there was no cause for worry.
Speaking about new Covid variants being traced, he said
genome sequencing
of samples in the west and south have shown that the new variants are not severe and are
Omicron sub-variants
. These are LF.7, XFG, JN.1 and NB. 1.8.1.
The first three are more prevalent, he said. "Samples from other places are being sequenced and we will know in a day or two if there are more variants," he said.
The ICMR DG said there has been an uptick in cases - first from the south, then west and now from northern India. All cases are being monitored through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.
"People do not need to take any immediate action. They should follow normal precautions."
Asked about the need for a
booster dose
, he said there is no need for
vaccination
as of now. "India has the capability to make vaccines and if need be, we can make any vaccine in no time," he added. pti
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