新型变异毒株“地狱犬”来了？中疾控回应！

The BQ.1 subvariant of Omicron has emerged on the mainland but no marked increase in its pathogenicity has been reported, health officials said.

"Currently, the dominant strains in circulation in China remain BA.5.2 and BF.7, and both are sublineages of BA.5," the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.

The center made the statement in response to online rumors that BQ.1 and its offshoots were wreaking havoc in Japan with their high transmissibility and high death rates.

BQ.1, which also belongs to the BA.5 family, was first detected in Nigerian patients in June and began spreading in September in Europe and the United States, and gradually rose to become the dominant variant. Since mid-October, Asian countries, including Japan and Singapore, have been registering BQ.1 infections.

The mainland has reported 49 cases of BQ.1 or its sublineages in nine provincial-level regions. However, no widespread transmission has been reported and no infected patients have been found to suffer more severe symptoms compared with patients who've contracted other variants.

"While BQ.1 has drawn global attention, no country has ever reported an increase in its pathogenicity, and no report has pointed to an increase in rates of hospitalization and fatality," said the center. "A recent animal study in Japan suggests that the pathogenicity of BQ.1.1 (a lineage of BQ.1) is likely the same as or even lower than that of BA.5."

The center said that China will continue to ramp up surveillance of Omicron variants and promptly evaluate transmissibility, immunity evasiveness and virulence of new strains.

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