'Covid Variant Behind China Surge Not Found In Delhi': Kejriwal Asks People To Get Booster Shots

Addressing the media after chairing a Covid-19 review meeting, Arvind Kejriwal said there was no need to worry.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a Covid review meeting

Source : PTI

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said no cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7, the strain behind China's current surge of Covid cases, have been detected in the national capital and urged people to get their booster or third vaccine shot.

Addressing the media after chairing a Covid-19 review meeting, Kejriwal said there was no need to worry.

"Covid cases are rising in China and several other countries. It has BF.7 variant. We don't have a single case of that variant in Delhi. So there's no need to worry. We are doing genome sequencing. Currently, XBB variant cases are coming in Delhi," Kejriwal said.

"XBB variant of Covid accounts for 92 per cent of positive cases. BF.7 not detected even in sewage samples taken from seven places in Delhi," CM Kejriwal said.

READ | 'States Asked To Ensure People Wear Masks, Maintain Social Distancing', Says Health Minister In LS Amid Covid Scare

So far, four cases of the Omicron subvariant BF.7 have been detected in India -- two in Gujarat and two in Odisha. In Gujarat, both the patients, who had foreign travel history, have recovered, PTI reported.

The new Omicron subvariant BF.7 is known to spread very fast and has a shorter incubation period.

The Delhi CM also appealed to eligible citizens to get booster or precautionary third dose.

"Only 24 per cent people have taken precaution dose, we request the people to take precaution dose. We have 380 ambulances, we have given orders for procuring more ambulances," Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal assured the citizens of Delhi that the government was prepared to deal with the Covid situation if there was a rise in coronavirus cases. 

"We have 8,000 beds for Covid in Delhi. Now, we aim to prepare 36,000 beds pertaining to Covid. We have a storage capacity of 928 mt tonne oxygen in Delhi," he further said.

On Wednesday, Delhi logged five Covid-19 cases with a positivity rate of 0.19 per cent, according to data shared by the Health department. It also recorded one fatality.