'Worst Is Yet To Come': XBB Omicron Subvariant May Trigger Multiple Waves In China, Warn Experts

Experts have cautioned that China is moving towards a phase where the country will be hit by multiple COVID waves which will mostly get triggered by Omicron subvariants.

China is witnessing the worst COVID outbreak since 2019. In the last couple of weeks, the country has logged a massive number of infections and daily COVID deaths. However, experts have warned that the 'worst is yet to come'. According to the predictions, new Omicron sub-variants are on their way other than the current ones that have created havoc in the country. "China must brace for the upcoming COVID waves which could get triggered by the various Omicron variants," experts said.

As of now, China is facing a daily spike in OVID cases due to Omicron subvariant BA.5.2 and BF.7. However, experts have predicted that multiple waves are expected to hit the country in the next couple of weeks, which will get triggered or driven by BQ.1.1 and XBB variants (the two which are circulating in the US and Europe).

"It's foreseeable that after the current wave peaks in China, XBB can enter the country to trigger a new round of large-scale infections," a local media quoted biochemist Cao Yunlong from Peking University as saying. He further added, "At this point, it seems difficult to prevent such situations from happening in China."

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