No new virus variants detected in China so far How this magic coin should save the US from bankruptcy

According to official information, no new virus variants have been discovered in the current corona wave in China.

Researcher Chen Cao of the National Health Agency’s Virus Institute said in Beijing Monday that variants BA.5.2 and BF.7 are the dominant viruses in the outbreak in the world’s most populous country. During the Chinese New Year holiday, which has been celebrated since January 22, the genes of 1,421 selected samples from different provinces were sequenced without a new variant being discovered.

According to official information, the massive corona wave that has been rolling through the country with more than 1.4 billion inhabitants since the beginning of December, despite the many trips to the New Year celebrations, has already passed its peak.

The number of deaths and hospital stays fell sharply last week, the health service reports. However, there is no clear picture of the situation. Foreign researchers had predicted considerably higher numbers based on model calculations.

As the virus affects a large population in China that has had no immunity to previous diseases and some are poorly vaccinated, there are fears in other countries that new variants could emerge. For this reason, many countries have also introduced tests for travelers from China.

The government in Beijing is annoyed by this, although it itself requires negative tests upon entry into China. After almost three years of a zero-Covid policy, China abruptly lifted strict measures such as lockdowns, enforced quarantines and mass testing in early December. (aeg/sda/dpa)