They also said that a fresh outbreak of severe Covid cases and hospitalisation is unlikely as people in India have the advantage of 'hybrid immunity' i.e. natural immunity due to infection reinforced by vaccination.
In view of the sudden surge of Covid cases in different countries, Indian Medical Association has issued an alert and an appeal to the public to follow Covid appropriate behaviour with immediate effect.
The Congress' jibe came just hours before Prime Minister Modi was set to review the situation related to COVID-19 in the country at a high-level meeting Thursday afternoon.
BQ.1.1 was estimated to make up about 38.4 per cent of circulating variants in the week ending December 17, and BQ.1 was estimated to make up 30.7 per cent, according to CDC data.
The steep increase in daily infections and the projections that at least a million people will die due to Covid in 2023 in China has also triggered a sense of deja-vu not only among general public but even among public health officials.
The Ministry has urged all the Indian States to be alert and intensify genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 virus, which will enable detection of new Covid variants, if any.
The findings from the study published in the reputed NEJM Evidence, have the potential to bring about changes to the existing treatment guidelines with regard to optimal dosing of anticoagulants.