Coronavirus: China confirms its first case of the most contagious omicron sublineage BA.2.12.1

China confirmed the first case of the BA.2 omicron sublineage, BA.2.12.1, which is gaining ground in countries like the United States, at a time when the Asian giant is going through a wave of outbreaks with record numbers of coronavirus infections. coronavirus not seen since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

According to a weekly report from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those infected with this subvariant, up to 27% more contagious than the omicron BA.2is a 27-year-old man who took a flight from Nairobi (Kenya) to the southern Chinese city of Canton last April 23.

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After testing positive for covid four days later, the infected person was transferred to a local hospital for treatment, according to the center.

Unlike most of the world, which has already decided to live with the virus, China has maintained a strict zero-tolerance policy against covid for two years with the argument of protecting the elderly population, which in a high percentage is not vaccinated, or avoid a hypothetical sanitary collapse.

However, the harshness of the measures to stop the outbreaks -especially in the eastern metropolis of Shanghai, confined for almost two months- has caused an unprecedented critical reaction in the population, which has spread countless complaints and videos of denunciation through the networks.

The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, stated last week that the restrictions put in place are not sustainable and recommended a change in strategy.

Chinese government spokesmen described his statements as “irresponsible” claiming that the measures taken have managed to save millions of lives.

According to the latest official count from the health authorities published today, China reported one new death from covid and 175 new positives, 162 of them from local contagion.

Source: Elcomercio

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