South Africa is the first country in the world to report a new strain of Coronavirus Omicron, and is currently experiencing its fifth wave of outbreaks caused by the Omicron strain. The difference is that the outbreak is no longer caused by the Omicron BA.2 subtype, but by two other subtypes: BA.4 and BA.5. At present, China has found a case of BA.4 imported from abroad.
It is reported that in mid-April there were only dozens of cases of BA.4 and BA.5 in South Africa with confirmed infection by rapid nucleic acid testing of new coronas, but by May, these two subtypes had become the main epidemic strains in South Africa with confirmed diagnosis by rapid nucleic acid testing of new coronas in a large population, accounting for 96% of the cases sequenced that month. According to statistics from the South African National Institute of Communicable Diseases on May 26, South Africa South Africa has just now passed the peak of the fifth wave of the epidemic, with more than 10,000 new cases of rapid new coronavirus testing confirmed in a single day at the peak.
(South African epidemic species)
Studies have shown that the stinger proteins of BA.4 and BA.5 are similar to the globally prevalent BA.2. New coronaviruses enter cells and cause infection by binding to the ACE2 protein on the surface of human cells through the stinger protein. However, compared to BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5 have several new mutations in the stinger protein, including L452R, F486V, and ndel69-70. Among them, the L452R mutation is found in Delta, Kapha, and Upsilon strains.
The new mutations on the stinging proteins also enhanced BA.4 and BA.5 transmissibility. The investigation showed that BA.4 and BA.5 have a significant change in antigenic properties, which allows it to evade the immune protection generated by the human body through infection or vaccination, thus giving it a stronger growth advantage, that is, it can evade the immune protection generated by infection with other strains, against which the effectiveness of vaccine protection gradually decreases over time.
In addition to South Africa, Portugal has become a major epidemic site for BA.4 and BA.5 strains, with increasing numbers of people with confirmed diagnosis by rapid nucleic acid testing of the new crown. South African scientists predict that a new variant of Omicron may also emerge in June, and The Lancet says preliminary evidence suggests that some of the New Crown variant strains may come from patients with long-term New Crown infection, such as those with immunodeficiency.
The Lancet study suggests that new mutant strains may continue to emerge as long as the New Crown epidemic is not over. Foreign imported strains have also caused new waves of outbreaks in China on several occasions. The key to prevention and control is to prevent the inflow of new mutant strains from abroad. The most direct and effective way of prevention and control is the rapid detection of new crown nucleic acid.
In customs and airport scenarios, we usually sample the incoming persons and incoming goods, among which incoming goods will take environmental samples for testing.
In order to further improve the efficiency of New Crown Nucleic Acid Rapid Test, improve the efficiency of epidemic prevention and control to ensure the closed-loop management of inbound personnel, airport customs are equipped with New Crown Nucleic Acid Rapid Test System.
The New Crown Nucleic Acid Rapid Test System is a system of "high efficiency amplification reagent + portable amplification instrument". The current portable amplifiers are generally small-throughput, high-efficiency amplifiers that can complete amplification analysis and produce results within tens of minutes.
Why is the New Crown Nucleic Acid Rapid Test System able to complete the test quickly? Because compared to conventional testing, the New Crown Nucleic Acid Rapid Test System can save sample transfer time, apply quick test methods (using releasing agents) and other operations, saving time for multiple step operations and substantially improving the efficiency of New Crown Nucleic Acid Rapid Test.
