XBB strain has not yet sparked domestic outbreaks in China

The new and highly concerning XBB strain has not sparked domestic outbreaks in China, but the emerging strain is threatening to be imported into the country and trigger local infection clusters in the future, a public health expert said on Friday.

Chen Cao, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that from Dec 1 to Thursday, China detected 33 imported cases of XBB or its offshoots, and only one domestic XBB case.

"We are faced with the risk of seeing imported cases of XBB and its sub-lineages, and the risk that they cause domestic infections is relatively large," he said. "But so far, XBB has not caused local transmission based on our monitoring data."

He added that no domestic case of XBB.1.5 — a closely-watched strain causing global alarm for its strong capability to evade immunity — has been reported in the country.

Chen said that BA.5.2 and BF.7 — two Omicron variants — are now claiming absolute dominance over other strains in the country.