China yesterday reported 13,146 COVID-19 cases, the most since the peak of the first wave more than two years ago, as health officials said they have found a suspected new subtype of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the Shanghai area.
China’s “zero COVID” strategy is under extreme pressure as the virus whips across the country. Until last month, China had successfully kept its daily caseload down to double or triple digits, with hard, localized lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions.
However, cases have in the past few weeks surged to thousands each day, especially in the outbreak epicenter of Shanghai, where streets were eerily empty yesterday as 25 million people stayed indoors under lockdown orders.
Photo: AFP
Officials in Suzhou, a city 30 minutes west of Shanghai, have detected a mutation of the Omicron variant not found in local or international databases, state media reported.
“This means a new variant of Omicron has been discovered locally,” Xinhua news agency said, citing Suzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention Deputy Director Zhang Jun (張鈞).
The outbreak is also testing the patience of Chinese toward tough restrictions, at a time when much of the world has reopened.
The 1.5 million residents of Baicheng in northeast China yesterday joined the ranks of tens of millions of other Chinese who have endured some form of lockdown over the last month, disrupting work and damaging the economy.
China recorded 13,146 cases yesterday, the Chinese National Health Commission said in a statement, with “no new deaths” reported.
It is the country’s highest daily infection tally since the middle of February 2020.
Nearly 70 percent of China’s caseload was in Shanghai, after mass testing, the commission said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned