The Chinese mainland has reported its first infection of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron BA.5 subvariant, according to a weekly report from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The patient, who received four doses of COVID-19 vaccine, was diagnosed with the virus after arriving in Shanghai from Uganda in late April.
The patient departed Uganda on April 25 with stopovers in the Netherlands, on April 26, and in South Korea, on April 27, before arriving in Shanghai. The patient recovered and was discharged from the hospital on May 12, according to a report released on Saturday in the CDC Weekly Report.
The Omicron subvariant BA.5, first found in South Africa in February, has increased its prevalence in the country in recent weeks and spread to 19 other countries over a three-month period. The BA.5 subvariant has led to an increase in the number of cases in countries such as Portugal while South Africa has reported a modest increase in hospitalizations since the end of April.