Two cases have been reported from Gujarat and two from Odisha, in which the BF.7 variant is detected

The government advised people to wear masks in crowded places. It is suggested  by Adar Poonawalla of vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII)  that there is no need to panic

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted, "COVID is not over yet. I have directed all concerned to be alert and strengthen surveillance. We are prepared to manage any situation."

The union government has asked states to send samples to labs for genome sequencing, which can help in identifying the variant or sub-variant.

Experts said that there is a need for continued surveillance to keep a track of the emerging variants.

BF.7 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant BA.5. It has the strongest infection ability.

There is a high degree of spread in Chinese cities.

Health expert Dr Rajeev Jayadevan said, BA.2 and BA.5 are small branches of Omicron and BA.5.1.7 and BF.7 are names given to downstream descendants of BA.5."

India reported 129 fresh infections over the last 24 hours, and the number of active cases currently stands at 3,408. One death was also recorded over the last 24 hours.