New highly contagious Variants of COVID detected in China

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• Oct 12, 2022 | digital desk

The experts have also warned about their "fast-spreading speed," with more and more cases...

Digital Desk: Two highly contagious subvariants of Omicron (BF.7 and BA.5.1.7) with greater transmissibility have been detected in several provinces of China. Experts warn that global numbers will rise considerably in the coming winter months. China reported 1,939 cases on October 9, the highest since August. Shanghai has reported 34 new cases, the highest in three months.

The experts have also warned about their "fast-spreading speed," with more and more cases spreading to different areas of China.

As per reports, both BA.5.1.7 and BF.7 subvariants are highly infectious and can easily dodge previous immunity barriers. According to health experts, the BF.7 variant can infect people even if they have been infected with Covid-19 before or have been fully vaccinated. However, professionals do not contradict the effectiveness of vaccines.

The Chinese capital, Shanghai, and other big Chinese cities, including Shenzhen, have ramped up testing, with some local authorities quickly closing schools, entertainment venues, and tourist destinations. China is still enforcing strict zero-COVID measures, which aim to stamp out chains of transmission through border restrictions, mass testing, extensive quarantines, and uncompromising snap lockdowns.

The World Health Organization has recently given out a warning against the highly infectious BF.7 COVID subvariant, also expecting the subvariant to become a new dominant characteristic of BF.7 if significant precaution measures are not adopted in time. According to reports from the Global Times, there is a high possibility of it becoming the dominant variant in China.