Omicron Subvariant BA.2 is Spreading Rapidly Across China
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- Mainland China has reported a rapid surge in coronavirus cases, in what officials describe as the country's worst outbreak since the pandemic began, with daily COVID-19 cases reaching well over 1,000 in recent weeks
- Officials say the outbreak is driven by the omicron BA.2 subvariant, which has been found to spread much faster and more easily than previous strains. Scientists have also described the BA.2 as a "stealth" strain as it contains mutations that make it harder to distinguish from older strains
- Prior to the emergence of the omicron subvariant, China had maintained one of the strictest COVID-19 measures in the world with a zero-COVID policy, which involved strict social distancing, quarantine rules, travel restrictions, and contact tracing
- The strategy helped the country to contain spread of the coronavirus when the virus first began to spread but soon became overwhelmed by the spread of the highly contagious subvariant
