No stronger Omicron sub-lineage in Shanghai so far
Citizens shop at a local wet market on Saturday, the first work day after the National Day holiday.
The highly contagious BF.7 Omicron sub-variant is not among the rising number of COVID-19 infections during the National Day holiday, an official with the city's center for disease control said on Saturday.
Shanghai reported 70 COVID-19 positive cases during the week-long holiday between October 1 and 7, mainly travelers from other provinces and their close contacts, said Wu Huanyu, deputy director of the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The screening for at risk places and groups has covered all the 16 districts of the city, including some students and teachers at local universities, Wu told the city's COVID-19 press briefing.
Their traces included local commercial complexes, airports, railway stations, hotels, schools and pubs. Gene sequencing has found they were infected with the fast spreading and high-concealing Omicron sub-variant, Wu said.
"However, no BF.7 sub-lineage has been found in the city at present," Wu said.
The BF.7, or the BA.5.2.1.7, is reportedly the new Omicron sub-variant with the strongest immune escape capability by gene mutation. The World Health Organization said the BF.7 is fast spreading across the world and expected to become the new dominate coronavirus.
Shanghai reported three community COVID-19 cases on Saturday.
Two new cases and three medium-risk areas
The first BF.7 case on the Chinese mainland was reported in Hohhot in north Inner Mongolia on September 28. More than 500 cases were detected within six days after the detection of the new virus.
Wu Qianyu, an official with the Shanghai Health Commission, has said the BA.5 and BA.2.76 remained the main cause of China's latest resurgence.
Shanghai reported two COVID-19 community cases and added three medium-risk areas on Saturday.
Both infections – a confirmed and an asymptomatic case – tested abnormal during a recent regular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening after returning or coming to Shanghai from other provinces.
A 37-year-old woman, who lives at Zhongxin Village in Chonggu Town of outlying Qingpu District, was diagnosed as a confirmed case with mild condition and has been sent to a designated hospital for quarantined treatment.
The other case, a 35-year-old woman, stayed at the Rest Hotel in Caoyang Community of Putuo District. She has been put under quarantined medical observation.
Apart from their accommodation, they had been to a local community, restaurants, a supermarket and an office park in Qingpu, Putuo, Xuhui and Minhang districts.
As a result, an area in Chonggu Town as well as the community in Qingpu and the hotel in Putuo were designated as a medium-risk area and put under lockdown, according to Wu Qianyu.
Shanghai designated three medium-risk areas on Saturday.
A total of 261 close contacts of the new cases have been traced and put under central quarantine. Among them, 192 have tested negative. More than 46,000 related people have been screened, and all tested negative, Wu Qianyu revealed.
Wu Huanyu asked people to wear masks and replace them regularly. Citizens are also encouraged to actively take PCR tests, vaccines and scan venue codes.
He required people traveling or returning to the city from other provinces to report their itinerary online before arrival. Every traveler coming or returning to Shanghai also must take a nucleic acid test upon arrival.
Travelers coming from domestic COVID-19 related regions must report to neighborhood or village committees and companies or hotels within 12 hours after arriving in Shanghai, he added.
Meanwhile, a dozen hotels in Xuhui District were punished for violating COVID-19 prevention rules on Saturday.
The hotels, including some outlets of the popular chain brands Hanting, Home Inn and GreenTree, failed to ask its employees to receive daily PCR tests, fully disinfect public areas, check the health code and PCR test report of every customer or make timely reports to the subdistrict or township governments, according to the Xuhui government.
Local high and medium-risk areas at present.
