China on Monday reported 1,337 locally infected cases of COVID-19 as the rapid spread type, commonly known as stealth omikron, fueled China’s biggest outbreak in two years. The surge on the Chinese mainland is infecting people in cities from Shenzhen to Qingdao, north to Xingtai, and the numbers have been steadily rising since early March. While the numbers are smaller than those reported in Europe or the US, or even in the city of Hong Kong, where 32,000 cases were reported on Sunday, it is the highest since the first major outbreak of COVID-19 in the central city. Wuhan in early 2020.Also read – 3 quick and effective mini-workout routines for busy people
China has seen far fewer infections since its strict Wuhan lockdown as the government adheres to its zero-tolerance strategy, which focuses on stopping the spread of coronavirus as quickly as possible, relying on strict lockdowns and mandatory quarantine for anyone coming. Exposure to a positive case. Also read – Covid vaccination for 12-14 year olds, precautionary dose for 60+ from Wednesday, government says
What is Stealth Omicron?
Zhang Wenhong, a leading infectious disease specialist at Fudan Hospital in Shanghai, says the current epidemic is driven by a type commonly known as the “stealth omikron” or BA2 lineage of the omikron variant. Preliminary research suggests that it spreads faster than the original Omicron, which itself spreads faster than the original virus and other types. Also read – China is moving from Wuhan to the worst COVID-19 crisis, three times a day
According to a study led by Danish researchers, the BA.2 subtype of Omicron is 1.5 times more transmissible than the original Omicron strain. Omicron, also known as B.1.1.529, has three main substrates, BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to Cornelius Roemer, a bioinformatist at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel in Switzerland, the BA.2 subvariant is likely to have originated from a common ancestor around the same time as the original Omicron, also known as BA.1, so it is not one. Descendant but a brother.
Does the Vaccine Work Against Stealth Omicron?
According to a Danish study, people who have been fully vaccinated with a booster shot are less likely to become infected and infect others. “We conclude that Omicron BA.2 is inherently significantly more transmissible than BA.1 and that it also has immunomodulatory properties that further reduce the protective effect of vaccination against infection,” Reuters wrote.
(With input from the agency)
