Experts urge following current COVID-19 control measures to curb new Omicron variant

BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese health experts have stressed the importance of adhering to current COVID-19 prevention and control measures, as the Omicron BF.7 subvariant has recently been detected for the first time on the Chinese mainland.

Dong Xiaoping, a virologist from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the Omicron BF.7 subvariant, which was reported on Oct. 1 in Hohhot, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has no obvious change in pathogenicity but shows strong transmission ability.

"Initial progress has been achieved in China's COVID-19 prevention and control work," said Liang Wannian, head of the COVID-19 response expert panel under the National Health Commission.

Liang noted that implementing the ninth set of COVID-19 containment protocols is of vital importance as the virus continues to evolve.