The BF.7 variant has previously been prevalent in other regions of the world, and the World Health Organization has issued a warning that BF.7 is spreading globally and "may become globally mainstream within weeks."

As early as September 23, the Coventry Telegraph reported that the new mutant strain of BF.7 was spreading rapidly in Belgium, Germany, France, Denmark and the United States. The CDC's New Coronavirus Data Surveillance found that the percentage of BF.7 strains has increased to 4.6% in a short period of time since surveillance began, making it the current third most detected mutant strain of New Coronavirus in the United States. Also in the European region, BF.7 has accounted for 25% of infections in Belgium; and about 10% in Germany, France and Denmark.

Dr. Yuge Wang, an NIH research scholar and immunologist, has also pointed out in an interview with Health Times that BF.7 adds the receptor binding domain RBD mutation R346T to BA.4/5, which can further escape the neutralizing antibody induced by BA.5 infection. Therefore, it is likely to become an epidemic mutant strain this fall and winter.