Detecting the Covid-19 variant that has never been seen in the world-Lifestyle

Health officials in the Chinese city of Suzhou have revealed a variant of Covid-19 that was not found in local or world databases.

The official Xinhua news agency on April 3 quoted Zhang Jun, deputy director of the Suzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as saying that this is a new variant of Omicron, first appearing in China and around the world. gender.

This variant evolved from the BA.1.1 substrain of the Omicron variant, according to genetic sequencing data from local health authorities. It’s not in GISAID, where scientists around the globe share variations Covid-19 sequenced to track viral mutations SARS-CoV-2 caused the Covid-19 pandemic.

So far, the Omicron variant remains a mystery because it looks very different from all other variants in the past and appears unexpectedly.

Suzhou city is about 30 minutes drive west of Shanghai city.

A resident of Suzhou City is tested for Covid-19. Photo: Xinhua News Agency

On April 3, China reported 13,000 new cases of Covid-19, a record level since the peak of the first Covid-19 outbreak more than two years ago. President Xi Jinping’s “no Covid-19” strategy is facing a great challenge when the Omicron variant rages in many cities, especially the financial center of Shanghai, which is under strict lockdown.

Before March, China controlled the number of daily Covid-19 cases at 2 or 3 digits. However, in recent weeks, the number of daily cases has reached thousands. China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said nearly 70% of the country’s cases came from Shanghai after the city government tested 26 million residents.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Vice Premier Sun Xuan Lan emphasized “resolute and quick action” to prevent the latest outbreak of Covid-19 after his visit to Shanghai.

As of the morning of April 4 (GMT), China recorded a total of 156,143 cases, 4,638 deaths and 125,781 recoveries due to Covid-19.