China detects a new type of mutant "Omicron"
Shanghai has detected a new type of mutated Omicron strain of coronavirus in a case infected with COVID-19, an official said at a press briefing on Sunday, referring to the complexities China faces in dealing with the new mutated strains at the time. in which it seeks to achieve a "zero covid" policy.
The city's health commission deputy director, Zhao Dandan, said the case was detected in Pudong's financial district on July 8 and is linked to an imported case.
Shanghai in eastern China has lifted closing restrictions that have lasted nearly two months since the beginning of June, but it continues to impose strict restrictions, closing buildings and complexes as soon as a possible outbreak appears.
"Recently, our city continues to record more locally transmitted positive cases of COVID-19, and the risk of the epidemic spreading in the community is still very high," Zhao of the Shanghai Health Commission warned.
He said residents in several major areas of Shanghai will undergo two rounds of COVID-19 tests, from July 12 to 14, in an effort to control a possible new outbreak of the disease.
According to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control of China, the mutant (Omicron PA.5), which is causing a new wave of COVID-19 infections abroad, was first detected in China on May 13 in a 37-year-old male patient. He arrived in Shanghai from Uganda.
The city's expert advisory group Yuan Zhengan, on the prevention of COVID-19, said in a briefing Sunday that the PA.5 mutant has been shown to have a rapid spread rate and an improved ability to escape from the immune system.
He added that vaccination is still effective in preventing the mutant from causing serious symptoms or death.
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