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The concern of the health department has increased once again due to the change in the form of corona virus in the country. A completely new sub-variant of Corona has been detected in the genome sequencing of samples of Covid-19 positive patients sent from Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh. Omicron RF.5 Has been confirmed. After this new strain was revealed in the report of Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV), the state government immediately came into action mode. From a reporter’s perspective, this news is not a reason to panic but to be cautious, because this new strain is already spreading in Singapore and some other South-East Asian countries.

Is Omicron RF.5 an older variant or more dangerous?

After the emergence of this new variant, the biggest question arising is whether it is as deadly as Delta or other previous variants? On this, Director of Medical Education (DME) of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. A. Vishnuvardhan has issued an official statement clarifying that based on the scientific evidence currently available, there is no indication that the RF.5 variant is more dangerous or deadly than other Omicron strains. Experts say that this variant has evolved naturally from the JN.1 lineage and is not a recombinant one. Therefore, there is absolutely no need for the public to panic, rather basic caution is the biggest weapon to prevent this.

Elderly people and people suffering from serious diseases should be very careful

Even though this variant is not generally serious, the Health Department has warned people in high-risk groups to be especially cautious. All 4 patients whose deaths have been recorded during this recent surge in Andhra Pradesh were already suffering from serious chronic diseases (comorbidities). According to doctors, the following categories of people should not ignore the early symptoms at all:

• Senior Citizen: Elderly people above 60 years of age.

• Pregnant women: Danger due to weak immunity during pregnancy.

• Suffering from serious diseases: People with uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, liver problems or heart problems will have to take special care.

Its symptoms are like flu, hospital is fully prepared

According to doctors, the symptoms of the Omicron RF.5 variant are similar to the previous Omicron variants of Corona and it mainly affects the upper respiratory tract. Its major symptoms include:

• Sore or painful throat.

• Persistent cough with dry or phlegm.

• Mild to high fever and headache.

• Runny nose or complete blockage of the nose.

• Extreme fatigue and pain in the joints and muscles of the body.

To deal with the situation, Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav has held an emergency review meeting with senior officials. He informed that there are currently a total of 16-19 active cases in the state, which are completely sporadic. Special Covid isolation wards and beds have been prepared in all the teaching hospitals of the state, and adequate availability of testing kits has been ensured. Experts believe that most of the Indian population has strong hybrid immunity due to the vaccine and previous infection, so the chances of any big wave are very less.