US-based epidemiologist and health economist Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding China’s CDC (Center for Disease) reported in January that the Omicron outbreak was “likely” caused by an “international postal letter”. He said this Omicron variant was genetically distinct from the other cases, but linked to Southeast Asia and the North. America. “If true – this is the first outbreak group to have spread like this,” he said.
The study said this first local cluster caused by an Omicron variant in Beijing was probably caused by a corrupted internationally mailed document that had not been previously reported. The study emphasized the “monitoring and disinfection of imported express cargo” in COVID-19 control, especially in certain climates and regions in China.
Feigl-Ding said seasonality could also be the reason Beijing is cold in January. “The area was investigated to identify the source of the infection. Case A lived and worked in Beijing’s Haidian district, without a travel history outside Beijing or close contact with a local or imported high-risk population. Further investigation indicated that the case occasionally sent and received international mail. Specifically, a document mailed internationally on January 11 (2 days before the onset of symptoms) was received, which was delivered from abroad on January 7,” states the China CDC study.
It said the outer surface of the packaged document was disinfected upon arrival in Beijing. A total of 1,054 environmental samples including 22 swabs were collected for the package received by the case. “The qRT-PCR showed that 12 out of 22 samples were positive in the SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab/N gene test, which included 2 samples collected from the outer surface of the package, 2 from the inner package and another 8 samples collected from the outer surface of the package. documents. And all 12 had Omicron,” the study revealed.
It said phylogenetic analysis showed the virus located near the group of some strains collected in North American and Southeast Asia in mid-December, with significant differences with groups local to China at the same time. “This is the first local cluster caused by an Omicron variant in Beijing,” the study said.
“We proposed that the infection was driven by an internationally mailed document, mainly based on the following evidence. Field investigation with an interval of 2 days, excluding internationally mailed document, said the study The case did not show any potential risk.
The study noted that all identified cases have an epidemiological relationship with Case A. “Environmental surveillance identified SARS-CoV-2 RNA-positive samples from the contents of the package, and part of these positive materials were untouched from the case,” the study said, adding that “more importantly, next-generation sequencing has enabled the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-positive samples.” showed that the genome of the case matched that of samples collected from matched documents, which differed from other local strains in China.
China sees biggest jump in Covid-19 cases
China’s daily COVID-19 caseload exceeded 1,000 for the first time in two years, in the wake of outbreaks of highly infectious Omicron variant spawning on a scale seen only at the peak of the onset of the epidemic. Here’s what is happening in the country.
According to ANI Reportedly, China reported 476 new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases, the National Health Commission said on Saturday. Of these infections, 159 were reported in Shandong, 134 in Jilin, 35 in Tianjin, 33 in Guangdong, 30 in Shaanxi, 23 in Zhejiang, 22 in Hebei, 20 in Jiangsu and the remaining cases in seven other provincial-level regions. , Xinhua reported, citing the commission’s daily report.
China reported 1,100 domestic infections on Friday and the tally ballooned from just over 300 cases a day in less than a week to zero, China’s ongoing tally for the virus showed, the National Health Commission showed. presents a significant challenge to the approach to tolerance.
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