China to track Covid-19 mutations through national hospital network

[superadmin]

• Participating hospitals will take samples from patients for genome sequencing and analysis as part of move to living with the virus
  
• China CDC says130 Omicron sub-lineages have been found in the past three months but none cause severe illness or an increase in death rates
  

China has set up a nationwide network of hospitals to monitor mutations of the virus that causes Covid-19, after lifting control restrictions and dropping PCR tests.

Public health experts, including top respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan, have warned that waves of Covid-19 infections in China over a short period of time might give rise to new variants of the virus.

Concerns have also been raised about whether it is possible to track any changes as the country battles a surge in cases at the same time as testing requirements have been scaled back.

Mass PCR testing was cancelled in early December and negative test results are no longer required to return to work or enter public places, including hospitals. There is no encouragement for people to get tested.

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