A new subtype of the Omicron variant was recently found near Shanghai, China, as the country continues to battle its latest virus outbreak, despite attempting to operate under a "zero-COVID" policy. The latest iteration of the virus evolved from the BA.1.1 branch of Omicron and was isolated from a mild coronavirus patient in Suzhou City, located less than 50 miles from Shanghai, the Global Times reported Sunday.
Scientists have said that the subtype is not the same as other coronavirus strains that are causing outbreaks in the country or around the world, causing concern that it may pose a greater threat in the region. Meanwhile, a case found in northern China's Dalian city on Friday also did not match any coronavirus subtypes found domestically, the municipal government announced on its WeChat account, according to Bloomberg.
