On May 16, the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the details of the first imported case in mainland China confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus Omicron subtype BA.2.12.1.
Source: Weekly Report of China CDC
The case is a 27-year-old Chinese male who arrived at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on a flight from Nairobi, Kenya, on April 23, and was reported to be positive for nucleic acid during quarantine on April 27.
Patient was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and denied having been in contact with other COVID-19 patients in the past 14 days.
On April 30, the patient’s genotyping results showed that he was infected with Omicron BA.2.12.1, the first case of this subtype in mainland China.
On May 4, WHO reminded to closely monitor the Omicron BA.2.12.1 subtype. The BA.2.12.1 subtype exhibited stronger immune escape compared to other Omicron subtypes, even after booster vaccination.
Some studies have shown that BA.2.12.1 is about 23% to 27% more contagious than BA.2. The subtype spread very rapidly, leading to a resurgence of the new crown epidemic in many parts of the United States. At least 17 countries have reported cases of this subtype.
Previously, according to the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection, as of May 13, Hong Kong had reported 19 imported cases of BA.2.12.1.
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Information source: China CDC Weekly Report