China reports first imported case of Omicron subvariant BA.5

China has reported its first imported case of Omicron subvariant BA.5, according to a report released by the China CDC Weekly on Saturday.

A nasopharyngeal swab from a 37-year-old Chinese man at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport was sampled on April 29 and sequenced on May 13, revealing an infection of Omicron subvariant BA.5.

The man set out from Uganda on April 25 and transferred in Amsterdam on the 26 and in Seoul on April 27.

After the case was confirmed, the man was transferred to the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center for treatment and then discharged on May 12 after recovery, the report said.

He has been vaccinated with four doses against COVID-19 in China and Uganda, according to the report.

Studies show that the extent of vaccination and the high level of BA.2 in each country likely influenced the emergence of BA.5, but ongoing monitoring and assessment are needed to further understand the characteristics and impact of this strain, the report added.

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