The TAG-VE, or Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution, regularly gathers to review up-to-date evidence regarding coronavirus variants. TAG-VE also gives advice to the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding whether there is a need to alter strategies for public health. Last January 3, 2023, TAG-VE gathered and discussed China's COVID-19 situation.
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China's COVID-19 Situation
According to WHO, Chinese scientists, during the meeting, relayed genomic information taken from locally-acquired and imported cases of COVID-19 infections. For the infections that were acquired locally, the presented information was grounded on over 2,000 genomes that were gathered and sequenced since December 1, 2022. WHO reports that the CDC analysis of China revealed how Omicron variants BA.5.2 and BF.7 have distinct predominance among the infections that locally surfaced.
Both BA.5.2 and BF.7, together, attributed for 97.5% of the entire local cases according to the said genomic sequencing. According to the Medical Laboratory Observer, there were few other sub variants of Omicron that were tracked. Such sublineages, however, took up lower percentages. These sub variants are already known and have been moving within other nations. WHO notes that China CDC has no newly reported variants.
As of January 3, there were 773 sequences taken from mainland China that have been provided to the GISAID EpiCov index. Most of these sequences were gathered after December 1, 2022. Among these, only 96 sequences are categorized to refer to locally transmitted cases. Moreover, 187 are said to be imported ones while 261 sequences remain uncategorized in this regard. the United Nations reports how among the said locally-transmitted cases, 95% refer to the BA.5.2 or BF.7 variants. This aligns with the traveler's genomes, ones who were from China, that were offered to the GISAID EpiCov index by other nations. WHO also notes that there is no new known significant mutation or variant in the publicly accessible sequence information.
COVID-19 Analysis Importance
In acknowledgement of such data, the TAG-VE restates the vital need to analyze further and share sequence information in order to know more about COVID-19 evolution and the surfacing of other mutations. This needs to be executed regardless of the presence or absence of a Pango lineage assignment.
Such a feat can be met through fast and consistent data depositing into the databases. Worldwide assessment of risk covers vital pillars, including the maintenance of significant levels of presentative genomic monitoring across China and the world, remarking genome sequences based on epidemiological and relevant metadata, and fastly relaying such information.
WHO will keep on monitoring China's COVID-19 Situation. The organization also encourages other countries to maintain vigilance, report and monitor sequences, and perform comparative and independent analyses of the various variants under Omicron.
The TAG-VE is also examining how XBB.1.5 grows in the US and other countries. An up-to-date evaluation of the said variant is currently in works.
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